On Thursday night (10 November) I razzed the night away at M-Net's 30th birthday party and one of the first people I spotted when I arrived was The Voice SA's Thembeka Mnguni.
The party happened over three nights at the MultiChoice Centre in Randburg - each night hosted different guests - so Thembeka and I happened to be at the shindig on the same night.
To my delight, she told me that her former boss saw the story I did about how awful he was to her - he was tagged on Facebook. I felt like
Dingaan Lesley on Speak Out!
We went on to chat about what she's up to and it turns out music has officially become her full-time career and she's making money. She released her first single
Brave on iTunes in August, she's performing at events and she's just landed a role on the stage version of Priscilla Queen of the Desert, which will be staged in South Africa next year.
It was first staged in Australia in 2006 and has since been staged around the world, winning multiple awards including a Tony. The South African production will be on at Artscape and Monte Casino next year and will feature an all-Mzansi cast with Thembeka in the thick of things.
Her family will be helping her to take care of her autistic son while she works on the production.
It's clear that entering The Voice was the best thing she could have done. I used to be afraid of money - I never wanted to be whoop-whoop! about it because of the evils that can be associated with it but over time I've realised that by looking at it that way you alienate yourself from the good that money can do. It gives you the freedom and power to pursue your dreams knowing that you have enough to take care of those you love.
This is what's happening for Thembeka and it's excellent to see, espesh because she took such a risk when she stood up for herself by quitting her job.