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BY Nkosazana Ngwadla

Imagine inheriting all the wealth in the world, having power and influence in the palm of your hands, only to have it all stripped away from you by your own family. This story tells a tale of how it means to be “hood rich” following the lives of the Radebe family witnessing the rise and fall of a family empire based in the surrounds of Diepkloof Extension, Pimville and Orlando, Soweto.

This April e.tv brings to viewers an all-new local drama produced by industry titans Parental Advisory Productions, executive produced by Thomas Gumede and Lungile Radu as they take over the 6.30PM slot on the channel.

“Exciting times are ahead of us, as a channel we fell in love with this story concept because it also follows the lives of the youth, we’ve explored all possible dilemma’s that this market would go through and translated them to screen-giving viewers a product that they’ll resonate with, night in, night out” said Mark Madai, e.tv Executive Producer.

A story concept by Thomas Gumede, the Producer who also directed the first block of the show had this to say, “We’re pulling all stops with this show, splitting shoots between studio and location this will result in nonstop and back-to-back dramatic scenes for the audience.”

BY Nkosazana Ngwadla

Mathebe’s beauty and wellness e-commerce platform, Beauty on TApp, initially started as a find-a-beauty service directory but quickly developed into a successful online service. Her unique approach to informing and supplying consumers with quality products gave birth to her own skincare line, Pastry Skincare.

And most recently, she took to Twitter to celebrate yet another win – opening a store.

One year later – we opened a store 😃🤌🏽 https://t.co/Bgnddag2Zi

— Mathebe Molise (@Mathebz) April 13, 2023

However, there’s no journey without challenges, 2020 came and a pandemic hit the business. With most people being home, shopper behaviour changed and most people started relying on e-commerce to shop cosmetics.

“With skincare trending we had to pivot and become an online skincare destination for both brands and our community. We scouted the best skincare brands and others approached us. Over two years we went from 30 brands on our website to about 60 brands – with the majority being skincare brands.  To make shopping skincare online easier for our community, we tailored our website to allow users to shop skincare by product, ingredient or concern and even went a step further by adding a skin consultation service.

Today our ethos and core focus remain empowering local niche and multinational beauty brands by giving them access to customers who want to shop their cosmetics on an easy-to-use platform to showcase their world-class products. We continue to target an order turnaround period of 3 business days (from receiving orders through to delivery) because we believe no one should have to wait for Beauty,” Mathebe writes on her business website.

Their vision is to become Africa’s leading cosmetics e-tailer by 2025 and they believe that they are on our way to making that happen.

“We will never lose our passion for the love of all things Beauty, and we will keep bringing our community the best in Beauty,” she concludes.

BY Nkosazana Ngwadla

This April, e.tv brings forth yet another brand-new drama, Smoke & Mirrors, produced by The Final Chapter Production. The show takes over the 9PM slot on the channel, replacing Imbewu.

Smoke & Mirrors is set in the landscape of a small mining town called Emnyameni. Here, we come to learn that the story lives up to its name- nothing and no one is truly as they seem. Introducing the character of Thandiswa, a hairdresser by day, an escort by night, and a girl on a mission to rid the town of “The Unholy Trinity”, the group of morally corrupt men who run Emnyameni.

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“We’ve cooked up a story that is gripping at its core but yet has multiple facets that resonate with the viewer. A lot of research went into putting the show together and in the end, we are happy to say we have a good product to show and tell,” said Loyiso Maqoma, creator, writer and producer for Smoke & Mirrors.

“e.tv focuses on introducing untold stories to the South African audience and promises entertainment like no other. The introduction of Smoke and Mirrors opens a world that hasn’t been explored before, the combination of this story and cast will simply blow our audience’s minds away” – Helga Palmer, Head of Local Programming, e.tv.

Smoke & Mirrors starts on Monday 17th April at 9PM on e.tv

BY Nkosazana Ngwadla

Popular DJ, Uncle Waffles’ new single climbs up the South African music charts. Released March 29th as lead single to her album Asylum, Yahyuppiyah debuted at #57 and #140 on the Local Top 100 and International Top 200 charts last week. It jumped up the charts this week to #3 and #5 positions.

“Asylum- this project is a representation of how I felt in my mind trying to grasp an industry I was blessed to be thrown in, an artistic portrayal of emotions and feelings, of growth, highs and lows and all the in betweens. It’s been a journey creating something I love, and I hope y’all love it too,” she wrote on social media.

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The 23-year-old is also set to take the Amapiano genre to one of the biggest stages in the world, Coachella. Uncle Waffles has been preparing for Coachella, where she will become the first amapiano act to perform at the festival. She will follow it up with performances at Afro Nation in Miami in May and Roots Picnic in Philadelphia in June.

BY Nkosazana Ngwadla

Every day, African creatives come up with the most exquisite art – whether it’s music, visual art, films or fashion, their work is always impeccable, which makes sense that African art is becoming more celebrated on a global scale.

What happens when creative minds come together for a collaborative project? Perfection! When former Miss South Africa and Miss Universe, Zozibini Tunzi wore Sarah Diouf’s fashion label, Tongoro Studio, and was photographed by South African photographer, Dan Carter and Kenyan photographer, Odede, that is what they gave us – pure perfection!

See for yourself:

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BY Nkosazana Ngwadla

33-year-old South African architect Sumayya Vally is organising the world’s first Islamic Arts Biennale in Saudi Arabia, and this is just one of the many milestones she’s achieved in her career.

Born in Pretoria (1990), Sumaya co-founded the experimental architecture and research firm, Counterspace, in 2015 and went on to become the youngest ever architect commissioned to design London’s famed Serpentine Pavilion in 2020.

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The following year, Vally was recognized in the Time 100 Next list as an emerging leader shaping the future.

This year, Sumayya has undertaken a new challenge: designing the first ever Islamic Arts Biennale in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia. Taking on this role saw her reimagine Jeddah Airport’s mammoth Hajj Terminal – ordinarily known for hosting hundreds of thousands of Muslims making their sacred pilgrimage to Mecca – as a journey through centuries of Islamic creativity.

The Islamic Arts Biennale 2023 runs in Jeddah until 23 April 2023.

BY Nkosazana Ngwadla

Meet award-winning fashion designer, Lukhanyo Mdingi who fell in love with clothing as a young boy and graduated in fashion at the Cape Peninsula University of Technology.

Lukhanyo first made his mark on the local fashion scene as a finalist in the Elle Rising Star Design Awards, soon after which he was selected to participate in Design Indaba’s prestigious Emerging Creatives platform.

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The East London born designer went on to debut at New York Fashion Week in 2019, and in 2021, he was a joint winner of the LVMH Karl Lagerfeld Prize for a collection dedicated to his friend, former colleague and source of inspiration Nicholas Coutts, who had passed away.

His understated elegance has captured the attention of a global audience, and the label has showcased on international platforms such as British Fashion Council’s International Fashion Showcase, Pitti Uomo Immagine’s ‘Generation Africa’ presentation, and many others that include the 2022 Paris Fashion Week.

BY Nkosazana Ngwadla

In 2010, an optimistic and determined Themba Makamo quit his job as a journalist from one of South Africa’s biggest publications with the aim of inspiring the world through his many ideas. At the time, he believed nothing could go wrong as he had great ideas, savings, a vehicle, a place to stay, and a supportive partner.

Fast-forward to two years later, he was left with just ‘great ideas’ which would eventually begin to fail one at a time. During this interim, bankruptcy, seemed to be the only highlight of his career. Though it seemed like he had lost it all, Themba had one thing he knew he could not afford to lose… HOPE.

He knew that in order for him to inspire the world through design and creativity, he needed to stay focused and keep going for his dream. After a decade of going for it, he finally founded VAYA in 2021 and within just 12 months of operation, he found himself running a lucrative business that is inspiring thousands of people to VAYA for their dreams.

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VAYA is Themba’s Triumph after years of failure, heartaches, and rejections. With a great team, VAYA aims to inspire and help people to go for their dreams for we know ambition can overcome any temporary obstacle. #Go4it

BY Nkosazana Ngwadla

Reality TV shows have a large viewership across the globe, everyone simply loves a real-life story filled with drama! So, this weekend, the eReality channel on Openview will launch new reality shows that promise to be filled with drama and entertainment.

SCAMMED

This show follows the stories of people who have been deceived by various types of swindlers. This is from fake businessmen, fly by night colleges, internet scammers, to those being swindled by lovers and dealerships that sell stolen cars.

Victims of modern-day scams share their experiences and highlight contemporary methods of how they got swindled and provide audiences with tips and tricks to protect themselves from scam artists.

Painful moments shared on screen. Every Saturday, 7:30PM on eReality.

UMSHIYA NINI?

No one should have to die for love. Sometimes it takes family intervention to leave a toxic relationship. When it comes to love gone wrong, are you willing to listen to family’s intervention?

Umshiya Nini? is a reality intervention show that will see families intervening in the relationship of a relative where they believe the one person needs to leave because the relationship is toxic, harmful and a potential danger to the other person.

Love should never hurt! Catch this show, every Saturday, 7PM.

WIFEY MATERIAL

Would you let your mother chose your girlfriend?

The show is based on the belief that a mother knows her son best and is therefore best suited to help him find the perfect partner. The show’s unique format allows the mother and son to work together. The show is fun, engaging, and ultimately aims to help the son find true love.

Each episode of Wife Material is self-contained, featuring a new mother-son duo. The show starts with a brief introduction to the mother and son, their relationship and their past dating experiences. Then, the mother and son watch three introduction videos of the three potential “girlfriends”.

Will the mother find her son, the love of his life? Every, Sunday – 7:30PM.

BY Nkosazana Ngwadla

The inaugural Grannies International Soccer Tournament held in Nkowankowa stadium and Tzaneen Laersklool sports ground in Limpopo Province was a great success.

A total of 400 grannies soccer players over the age of fifty years from Africa, Europe and America participated in this historic women tournament which enjoyed a huge support from all local stake holders including the South African Football Association in Mopani.

The Limpopo provincial government through the Department of Sports Arts and Culture sponsored the only three Limpopo grannies teams in the tournament with accommodation, soccer kits and track suits.

They also sponsored all the teams with catering throughout the tournament, while the local private companies sponsored with bottled water and tents.

The African continent was represented by South Africa, Zambia,  Zimbabwe and Mozambique while the United States of America was represented by Lexpressas FC, Breakers and Florima. Footeuse Tout Age FC from France was the only team representing Europe.

South African representatives were Vakhegula-Vakhegula FC (Mopani), Dikgoshigadi FC (Waterburg), Northern Stars FC  (Vhembe), Glory Gogos FC (Hammanskraal), KwaZulu-Natal gogos, Tembisa gogos (Gauteng) and Mbombela Gogos from Mpumalanga. 

Mopani district’s favourite team Vhakhegula Vhakhegula who lost their opening game against tournament finalists USA Lexpressars 3-2 did not make it out of the group stage which had the likes of Mbombela Gogos who made it all the way to the semi-finals.

The only game they won was a 6-0 consolation victory against Corumana Velhos from Mozambique who finished bottom in the group.

However, at least four South African sides Northern Stars fc (vhembe), Mpumalanga Gogos, Mbombela Gogos (Mpumalanga) and Tembisa Gogos (Gauteng) made it to the quarterfinal stage all as runners up in their respective groups.

They played against group leaders Lexpressars (USA), Breakers (USA), Footeuse tout age fc (France) and Florima from USA in the quaterfinals. Mpumalanga gogos and Tembisa gogos were walloped 4-0 by Breakers and Northern Stars respectively while France’s only representative Footeuse Tout Age FC was eliminated by Mbombela Gogos 3-0 on penalties after goalless stalemate in fulltime.

Mpumalanga Gogos and Breakers (USA) make their way for the first game. #GranniesTournament @Newzroom405 pic.twitter.com/q0T7ButjUD

— African Child (@ZikhonaTshona) March 29, 2023

USA side Lexpressars cancelled arch rivals Florida 1-0 to qualify for the semi-finals.

In the semifinals USA teams, Breakers and Lexpressars had the better of the only two surviving South African teams beating them 5-4 and 3-0 on penalty kicks respectively to setup an all USA final. Both games had ended goalless. Talented Breakers fc emerged the tournament’s overall winners with a solitary goal by from the boot of Kathy Kelly whose shot at goal best the Lexpressars goalkeeper hands down.

Breakers were crowned champions and received and trophy and golden medals while runners-up Lexpressars received silver medals. Spokesperson of the tournament pioneers Mama Bheka Ntsanwisi foundation Tsolo Bulala thanked all the local stakeholders for making the tournament a great success.