NEVER A DULL MOMENT WITH TUMI & FAMILY

Tumi Morake, her husband, Mpho Osei-Tutu, and their kids are a laugh a minute. The comedy power duo let us in on their hectic family life

Happy family – Mpho Osei-Tutu and Tumi with their kids, (from left) Althea, Lesedi and Bonsu.

WBy HOPEWELL MPAPU Pictures: ROWYN LOMBARD HAT happens when a top comedian and an award-winni n g c omedy screenwriter hook up, get married and produce a trio of tots? You get a whole lot of laughter, that’s what.

This much is obvious when we get together with Tumi Morake, husband Mpho Osei-Tutu and kids Bonsu (8), Lesedi (5) and Althea (3) – it’s a giggle a minute with this lot as they bask in precious family time.

For all the fun they have, life is hectic and like most modern families they’ve sacrificed quantity for quality when it comes to being together. Managing their careers and running their company Whatnot Entertainment – which produces comedy content for film, TV and theatre – leaves Tumi and Mpho (both 35) stretched for spare seconds.

Tumi recalls how she teared up when Bonsu told her that even though she couldn’t be with him as much as he’d like her to be he felt her presence because “I know you love me”.

Yet the woman became the first female to be crowned the Edgars comic of the year at the sixth annual Savanna Comics’ Choice Awards and was voted best comedian at last year’s YOU Spectacular says she doesn’t feel guilty about being a working mom.

“A lot of women feel like they’re bad mothers but I’ve stopped feeling guilty because I’m building a better future for them. When I’m with them they know who I am and I know who they are,” she says.

She’s grateful for her extended family’s support as well as that of their trusted nanny, all of whom help look after the kids and cart them to extracurricular activities while the couple juggle their days.

Everything they do is for their children, Tumi says, because she and Mpho want nothing but the best for the brood.

“I want them to be the best versions of themselves,” she says. “My youngest child is very domineering, which shows me she can be a leader.

“I also want to teach them to be gentle and kind to other people because some people need love and affection.”

“I want them to be authentically themselves because you can’t change a child,”