TSHIDI never guessed that accepting a lift from Ananias Mathe would ruin her life.

The convicted arch-criminal seemed like a caring gentleman when he offered her a ride four years ago.

That lift turned into a love affair she now regrets.

Tshidi (not her real name) was working at a movie theatre in the East Rand Mall when she met Mathe, who claimed to work at OR Tambo Airport.

"I was with my friend and we thought Mathe was being nice," Tshidi said. "Finally Mathe got my friend's number. He called her but asked for me."

The beautiful Tshidi, 25, recalled her days with the "charming" Mathe.

"After about a month we started dating," she said. "He was charming but I wouldn't call him romantic."

Tshidi's relationship with Mathe took a strange turn when she fell pregnant and gave birth to their son Thabiso.

"He told me to take our son to Chicumbane in Mozambique so that his family could see him," she said.

But then her lover dropped a bombshell.

"He told me that I would also meet his wife and children.

Strangely, Mathe's wife Felista and Tshidi have become close friends