Photo of Jade Rhode

Influencer Grace Mondlana defending lavish dog birthday party divides SA

Social media influencer Grace Mondlana, who often finds herself in the midst of controversy, revealed that she threw a lavish first-birthday bash for her dog, Kai. However, not many people were impressed with how the star spent her money after she defended herself.

Also see: Grace Mondlana ditches R3,500 braids 2 weeks after viral 28-hour appointment

Over the weekend of 25 July 2026, Grace, a former school teacher-turned-content creator, shared with fans the planning behind the ‘Birthday Paw-ty,’ which included elaborate decorations and snacks to wow her guests. Attendees, who included a few familiar faces, such as Moghelingz, also brought their fur babies.

“The host in me is sooo HAPPY because I LOVE having people in my HOME, but most importantly I get to celebrate Kai’s 1st year on earth with them,” she wrote.

 

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A post shared by Grace Mondlana (@grace._mondlana)

 

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A post shared by Grace Mondlana (@grace._mondlana)

Grace also shared with guests that she had welcomed Bella to the family, making her a mother of two.

 

View this post on Instagram

 

A post shared by Grace Mondlana (@grace._mondlana)

Also see: Grace Mondlana video divides South Africans over celebrity expectations

South Africans side-eye pup’s party

News of the festivities received applause from the online star’s fans, while other social media users criticised the bash. After becoming aware of the negativity, Grace went live on TikTok to defend her choices.

Internet users @_boredb posted the recorded livestream, showing Grace telling people that they need to live their lives and stop watching others live theirs.

“There are literally graves waiting for us to die… You spend so much time consuming other people’s lives [in] your free time. In my free time, I make parties for dogs, and that makes me happy. In your free time, what are you doing?

“At the end of the day, we’re going to the same grave. I’ll go with memories.”

@Jesicantimbana commented, “She literally depends on the same people that are watching her live her life. If they all unfollow her, she gets zero engagement and likes on the content she creates; would she be where she is?”

“She is not lying, though. It’s a choice to consume content of people living their lives and criticise how they do it,” stated @NtombiEnhle_.

@Kabelo_Kekana93 told people online, “Everyone has been so weird to this lady, and I’m gonna come to the conclusion that it’s because they are all jealous.”

@MokayL added under the post, “Weird of her to say this when her entire bag is from people watching her buy groceries at Woolies.”

Featured image: Instagram / @stephenobi.jpg

Also see: Grace Mondlana marks her second international travel and ventures to China

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