The documentary/ chat show Take 5's been going for 9 seasons and it's still going strong. When it first premiered it was on SABC1 weekdays at 16h00 and subsequently moved to Primetime on Mondays at 18h30, when Season 9 launched last year.
Since it's start it's seen various hosts getting in touch with the youth to discuss matters close to their hearts and one of them was Siya Mdlalose - a fan, who's become it's host.
On the very last day of 2007, 31st December, Siya made his presenting debut. I caught up with him for us to get his Take on what it's like to have a dream come true:
Take 1
Tashi: How did you get into presenting the show?
Siya: I was at the Grahamstown Festival ‘cos prior to Take 5 I used to do presenting for Tube and their roadshows, presenting and assisting with the management for it. I heard that Take 5 was looking for a presenter, that they’d been looking and hadn’t had any luck.
I said, “Okay, fine, I’ll try it out - nothing major,” so I went through to the audition and it was kinda scary - seeing all these people you’ve seen on TV at the auditions as well. I did the audition and thought it was good, not great but good.
A few months later I got a callback, went through, did my second audition and a few weeks later I got the confirmation that I’d got the job.
Tashi: Always cool to hear such news.
Siya: Yes, you can’t really explain it when you get the job - for me to be on Take 5 was something else because it’s been on for so long.
As a kid I grew up watching the show, I was a great fan of it so when you get the call and it’s all real - it didn’t actually sink in until I was at my first shoot.
Tashi: What’s been your best experience about it?
Siya: Getting to meet all the different people. You get taken out of your shell and comfort zone. As a human being you can be selfish about yourself and what’s happening in your own world.
We’ve got a mobile studio that we take to the people so you go to a place like Jansenville in the Eastern Cape and you see how people live and what they do on a daily basis and it just makes you appreciate your life and what you’ve got going on in it.
Also, you get to meet people in important positions, with the guests we have on the show - politicians, business people, teachers and so on.
Take 2
Tashi: Who’s been the most intriguing guest you’ve spoken to?
Siya: We’ve had a couple - we’ve had Julius Molema, from the ANC League - very interesting fellow. Just last week we had a gentleman from the department of Home Affairs and I hear we’re going to have the Deputy President soon.
Tashi: The Home Affairs guy - was he actually awake?
Siya: Haha, he was, he was actually quite helpful. We asked him about what’s going on at the department, what’s new and what they’re doing about all the corruption going on and what they’re doing to speed up people getting their ID books and so on.
Tashi: The show’s very much about social things affecting the youth - what did you grapple with when you were still
impressionable?
Siya: As a teenager, for me, I was very quiet and withdrawn. I went through a phase where I didn’t want to say much because I was facing depression. When you talk to teenagers right now, they’ve got all these life challenges and many of them are depressed.
I’ve been like “Wow, it really wasn’t only me who went through it.” They’re facing it for a lot of things - for some of them it’s because maybe at home, their family structure’s not that great and lot of them are facing the whole thing of unemployment, teenage pregnancy, HIV and suicide.
You chat to them and see where they’re at and try to help them. I think that’s what the show’s about as well, trying to lift them up and give them hope.
Take 3
Tashi: If you could interview anyone in the world, who would it be?
Siya: This present moment it would be four people. One of them would be the man above: God. It would be amazing, to get more insight and knowledge.
The second would definitely be our former president Nelson Mandela - I’ve just covered parliament and he has such an aura around him, his age and he’s so wise - he doesn’t even have to say much, when you’re in his presence you feel something.
Tashi: Did you touch him?
Siya: No we couldn’t *laughs* there was strict security. The third would be Mama uWinnie Mandela and the fourth would be Oprah Winfrey.
Tashi: If you were to meet Oprah, what would you ask?
Siya: The determination and drive - from where she comes from and where she is today, how did she manage to do it? What gives her that knowledge? What makes her get up every day and say, “As much as I’ve got all this money, how can I get out there and implement it and touch lives? How can I control the money and not let it control me?”
Tashi: I don’t know why she doesn’t just go on one big, huge holiday.
Siya: Yes it’s one of those questions you’d want to ask her.
Tashi: Yes, why not have a
rest? If you were in a different profession, what would you be?
Siya: I’d be in advertising. I’ve always been fascinated by ads, what it takes for someone to elevate a brand and I love being creative. Either that or being a doctor ‘cos when I was a kid I just wanted to be a doctor.
Tashi: So I won’t ask you about the nurse/doctor games you used to play?
Siya: *guffaws* Ja.
Take 4
Tashi: What are your plans? Where do you see yourself in the future?
Siya: Right now, to be more involved in a lot of charity organisations. To be more hands-on with South Africa’s youth. As I said I think many of the youth are demoralised and for me, I’d like to work with the guys side of things. I feel that those are the people we need right now - we need to become better role models, better brothers, better best friends and better parents.
We can’t have a household that’s only run by a single woman - you need both parties ‘cos I was raised by a single mother and I feel you need both parties - that would be quite nice.
To say to them, “Yes, maybe times are hard, maybe you feel all the attention’s going towards the girls with all the initiatives like “Take a girl child to work,” but let’s take a boy child to work as well - we need you guys to come to the forefront. We can’t have all these ladies raising their kids alone ‘cos you do need your dad too.
Also, to have a more, bigger, better, illustrious career in the TV industry. I always say to people, “It’s not about the fame, it’s about living the dream.” Never to let fame control me but to use the fame to open doors to touch lives.
Fade to black ....*sound effects of your choosing* ... fade back up
Take 5
Lookout for TVSA's Brown Shuga on the show, in an episode coming up on 22 December called Media Influences - she'll be giving her take on the topic. I'll give you a Take 5 closer to the time!