By Mashamba Media
news@alexreporter.co.za
Deli assistant Kemo Mokgothu expected just another day at work and was grilling boerewors at Pick n Pay Flora Centre Mall in Roodepoort when her boyfriend Paul Motswi showed up unexpectedly with flowers and an engagement ring.
The video on TikTok by @theeyummymummy showing the special moment, shared by customers and staff, quickly went viral on social media.
The pair, both 43, have been dating since they met at a party three years ago, and live together with Mokgothu’s three sons in Durban Deep.
“That morning, Paul put on a suit and I asked him why he was dressed so nicely. He said his workplace had told him to dress up and he wanted to look nice,” Mokgothu said of her husband-to-be, who works in maintenance at a telecommunications company.
“We had discussed getting married and I knew he was saving for the lobola payment, but I knew nothing of a ring.”
Two of Mokgothu’s colleagues were in on Motswi’s plan, and sent her to the front of the store around noon, claiming she was needed to fry boerewors for a customer.
“The next thing I knew, Paul was approaching me with flowers and went down on one knee,” said the delighted bride-to-be.
“I was screaming, I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Customers were telling me I was trending on social media, there was an air of excitement and everyone was cheering. Everyone wants an invitation for the wedding.”
Motswi said he had decided to propose to his “one-of-a-kind” girlfriend at her workplace to surprise her, and show her colleagues that she was “one in a million”.
“I really love her, she is so special to me and we really understand each other,” he said.
In support of the couple who shared their joy in the middle of Pick n Pay, the retailer later surprised them with an engagement cake, as well as vouchers for a wedding cake valued at R1 500 and a gift card valued at R10 000 to help with catering on their big day.
There was ululation and dancing as the bride-to-be joined her fiancé at the front of the store, where the store manager, Tsietsi Matsimela, awaited with a giant cake with the word celebration on it.
He congratulated the couple and handed over a box containing the surprise gifts and a message. The delighted couple were overjoyed with their luck, as their colleagues, friends and even shop workers from neighbouring stores joined in the celebration as the cake was sliced.
Mokgothu said the surprise was unexpected. “This is going to help a lot with wedding planning, and we are very, very happy.”
“Our stores have always been a place for families, making it even more meaningful to be included in such a pivotal moment in Kemo and Paul’s journey together,” said Thembi Mbengashe, Chief People Officer at Pick n Pay.
“Kemo has been a part of Pick n Pay for many years and we could not be happier for her, and wish the couple a lifetime of love, laughter and cherished memories.”
Following traditional customs, the couple will discuss their plans with family on both sides – in Botlokwa Village in Limpopo and in Zeerust – after which a wedding date will be set for later this year.
“It will be my first wedding and I want both a white wedding as well as a traditional wedding,” Mokgothu said. “My mother is overjoyed, she likes Paul a lot.”
Mokgothu said the engagement had evoked a new sense of romance between herself and her fiancé. “I am very, very happy.”
Pics supplied.
