21-year-old firecracker Mbali Qotyana stepped up as a new co-host on Rise last month when Nyiko Shikwambane left the show to concentrate on her studies.
All I knew about Mbali when she took over is that she's an avid dancer so I decided to catch-up with her to snoop out everything we don't know:
Tashi: You're a passionate dancer?
Mbali: Yes, I was a frustrated teen who had no way to express myself so I danced to express myself. Rise came along and I got my voice. I’m able to express myself through talking because I come from a community that face a whole lot of issues that Rise talks about.
Tashi: What have you been doing since school and now?
Mbali: I’ve been dancing since I was five. I matriculated in 2012 and in 2013 I took a gap year to find myself and I started dancing professionally then. I did the TV show Step Up or Step Out with a dance crew and we made it to the Top 10 but unfortunately we couldn’t finish it because one of our crew was underage.
Tashi: Have you been able to support yourself though your dancing up until now?
Mbali: Not really - dancers are exploited hey, so the money I made through dancing wasn’t much. I’ve been supported by my family financially.
Tashi: So you’re close to supporting yourself now that you’re on Rise?
Mbali: Much closer. It’s brought a whole lot of independence and stability. I’ve been able to help my family with money that I’ve got from the show and it’s been great.
Tashi: How did you get the job?
Mbali: I think it was on a Friday… I heard an ad on the radio and I decided to go. We got auditioned and I made it to the Top 10 and the rest is history.
Tashi: What did you have to do at the audition?
Mbali: It was Lebo and Kgomotso and myself and a another girl who came to audition as well. A question was asked and we had to talk about it for like two minutes and that’s basically what happened.
Tashi: What was the question?
Mbali: What do you think about marriage? … something about marriage.
Tashi: What did you answer?
Mbali: Marriage is a beautiful thing but I don’t think it’s a priority. It isn’t a priority and it shouldn’t be a priority for a woman. It shouldn’t be something that you go out of your way to look for but it’s beautiful if it happens.
Tashi: How has your life changed since you’ve been on the show?
Mbali: Well, financially I’ve become more stable. I couldn’t study further because there were financial problems but because of this I can save up and next year I’m going to study Media. I’d like to learn everything in the industry and grow.
There’s also been a whole lot of recognitition from people in my community and when I go out to malls and stuff. People recognise me and they ask about Rise and Kgomotso, Khanyi and Lebo.
Tashi: Do they talk about the topics that come up on the show?
Mbali: Young girls, girls who are 15/16, my sister’s age - they come and they talk. Recently we talked about depression on the show and I found that a whole lot of teenagers are depressed.
They came and they wanted to talk about it. We spoke but they also need more formal places where they can go when they have questions that I can’t answer.
In make-up before filming.
Tashi: Please tell us about your life from before all this? Where did you grow up? What’s your family like?
Mbali: I was born and bred in Lenasia, my mom and dad married the year I was born, 1994. It was a very open family. My mom was a very open person , we grew up talking about everything - she was my best friend.
When I was 15 or 16 she passed away. I have a sibling and I’ve always wanted to take care of my family. My dad is still my best friend, we talk - he’s one of the girls actually - I talk about everything with him.
Now that I’ve been on Rise it’s even better because stuff I couldn’t talk to him about… I go out to parties and I have a boyfriend and my sexuality and stuff - now that I’m on Rise it’s easier to talk to him about that because I’ve learnt that such stuff is not as taboo as I thought.
Tashi: So you being on the show has brought you closer together?
Mbali: It has, it has, a
lot.
Tashi: Is your sister younger than you?
Mbali: Yes, my mom died in a car accident and my dad was driving so he got hurt and my sister was too young to take care of my dad so I took charge. I wanted to take charge.
Tashi: Gosh Mbali, that’s hectic. How did it change you?
Mbali: I became stronger. I found a whole lot of emotions. One of the things that Rise has helped with me with is to let out my emotions. When I’m on set and talk to Lebo and Kgomotso, I let out my emotions. We spoke about it and I learnt that it was okay, I didn’t have to take such responsibility, I didn’t have to be strong.
Tashi: Sjoe, the things life throws at us. That’s what Rise is about isn’t it? How do you cope with everything that life throws at us?
Mbali: Yes we really talk about stuff that we face as young women in our communities. It helps not only the viewers but also the host, myself, and it has helped a whole of girls out there.
It’s crazy how many young girls will come out after hearing your story and say, “Oh my word, I experienced the same thing, this is how I felt, I didn’t know who I could talk to or where I could go to.”
Tashi: Speaking of connecting with people… you say you have a boyfriend? Tell us about him.
Mbali: Okay, well, he’s 23 and his name is Lerato, which means "love" in Sotho. He’s great, he encourages me to face the stuff I couldn’t face. He’s my pillar, I talk to him a whole lot. He’s also one of the girls, I talk to him about drama and love like he’s one of the girls.
Tashi: How long have you been dating?
Mbali: It’s been a year and a couple of months.
Tashi: What does he do?
Mbali: He has a recycyling company which is a family owned business.
Tashi: Do you have any middle names?
Mbali: My name is actually Palesa which means "flower" in Sotho but my dad is Zulu so he was like, “Uh-uh, no child of mine is gonna be called Palesa, so I’m gonna call her Mbali,” which is flower in Zulu. I have a middle name too - Rebecca, which is my grandmother’s name.
Flash fact: Mbali's a Capricorn and believes she has the qualities of the star sign, specifically loyalty.