IT’S a busy household: five dogs, four kids, two men, one mom – and it’s this mom who keeps it all together, ruling the roost with lots of love and a healthy sense of humour. You need to keep your wits about you when you have so much on your plate, Jo-Leen Geldenhuys tells YOU when we visit her at her home in La Mercy, Durban. But she wouldn't have it any other way. If she could, Jo-Leen (34) would be married to both the men who share her home and she hopes one day the law will allow it.
The law is sexist, she says – it allows only men to take more than one wife. She wants to create awareness around polyamorous relationships and show it’s possible to co-exist in harmony.
“The three of us have been in a relationship for four months,” says Jo-Leen, glancing lovingly at her husband, Jack Geldenhuys (37), and her boyfriend, Santini Lee (38).
“It’s all still new but everything is going well. Jack and Santini together make the perfect man for me.”
They consider themselves one big happy family. Jo-Leen and Jack’s four kids, Tyronne (14), Lilly-Anne (12), Nathan (11) and Violet (7), are happy with the status quo and all have T-shirts featuring caricatures of the three adults in the house along with the word “Thriplelationship”.
Jo-Leen and her guys share everything – household chores, parenting duties, finances and the bedroom.
“We get asked about our sex life the most,” Jo-Leen says. “How does it work? Do we all sleep in one bed? Is there a schedule?
“The honest answer is we don’t put labels on our relationship. We don’t have time for schedules. Jack and Santini each have their own room and I have mine. They can spend time with me at any time.
“Sometimes it’s Jack and me alone, other times it’s Santini and me. There are also times when the three of us are together but Jack and Santini don’t touch each other then. Just me.”
This story is from the 30 January 2025 edition of YOU South Africa.
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This story is from the 30 January 2025 edition of YOU South Africa.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
Already a subscriber? Sign In
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