Katlego Maboe On Life Behind The Camera, Pet Peeves And What Brings Him Joy

Katlego Maboe / 29 / Multiple award winning TV host on the Expresso Breakfast Show & Strictly Come Dancing (Seasons 7 and 8) on SABC3

What kind of a guy is Katlego?

Electrifying, energetic, ambitious, family oriented, fun-loving, serious, weird guy who loves life and all good things about it.

How did the entertainer bug bite you, was it always in your life plan?

My late uncle, Martin Maboe, was quite the entertainer and I would watch him, trying to imitate him in order to entertain friends and family. I enjoyed the spotlight, so much so that subconsciously I pursued every opportunity to display my talent. I don’t think that it was ever a life plan that I made but perhaps one that God made for me because life has always found a way of steering me back onto the path of music and entertainment.

Did you actually study for your chosen career path?

Not at all. I studied B. Com Chartered Accounting; quite far removed from the world I currently call my career.

How’s your typical day like?

No day is ever the same. The only constant is my call-time at Expresso and the time the show ends at 09h00. The rest of the day is spent training, preparing for the next day’s show and imminent corporate engagements all while growing my personal brand and leading by example.

What brings you joy?

The ability to use my God given talent everyday in whichever way possible to make the world a better place. Music is one of those things – it makes me feel closest to God.

Any pet peeves?

People that make it their life mission to take away from other people’s happiness.

That one thing you always do before the camera zooms in you?

Think of how I can make the person watching from home smile.

Would you ever retire?

God willing, no. I enjoy what I do so much, I wouldn’t mind doing it ’till my last day.

Cape Town or Jozi?

#CoZi – that’s Cape Town and Jozi. Both cities offer things I like. Jozi has that vibrant energy and ambitious spirit of youth chasing dreams while Cape Town oozes with serenity and a quality of life that is tough to beat. If they were one city, I’d be complete.

What or who do you do this for?

My mother. I owe her my life and all I do is to make her proud everyday.

Follow Katlego!

Instagram: @katlegomaboe

Twitter: @KatlegoMaboe

Facebook: Kaltego Maboe

*Photographer: Michael Le Grange

 

–Bridgette Makhela

Thapelo Mokoena Talks New Film, His Craft And The Industry

Thapelo Mokoena
33
Actor / Producer / Filmmaker

What’s the daily Thapelo Mokoena schedule like?
It consists of a high level of discipline and keeping my eye on the ball. Chasing the dream and fulfilling it. Most of the work I have to do myself, as an actor I get to fulfill other people’s dreams. Consistency is key.

Describe the role you play on the upcoming movie, Mrs Right Guy…
I play a guy called Dumile, a well to-do business man, he’s a young guy working for a big corporation. It’s a story of an underdog who goes from rags to riches. He can’t stand people that believe there is a short cut to life. He’s always fixing people’s problems. An arrogant guy who believes he is the solution for people on this earth. He is very self-assured and believes himself to be god-sent.

Tell me more about Kasi Movie Nights?
Kasi Movie Nights is a mobile cinema events company that brings the cinema experience to the people in a refreshing manner; it works as an informal cinema. It takes African-produced movies to the people, we all know there are no cinemas in the townships, Kasi Movie Nights is the solution to township cinema. People can watch movies in their own environment in a special way. It is the first of it’s kind on our shores. I believe our people need to start watching themselves; we pirate so many movies, consuming so much US and Australian content, that has to change.

Did you always want to end up in the entertainment industry?
I think so, I look at my life and since I was a kid my brothers and I have always been that way. It was a natural thing in the household; I grew up in a small town so we entertained ourselves. We would put the radio in the garage; connect a MIC, recorded music and movies. I have a serious passion for the arts. I guess I’ve always known.

What have you learnt about the industry?
It’s growing, from being an infant to a toddler…the world is our oyster. The fuel for the arts is an artist. It is one way to learn a lot of things about yourself. I enjoy it, the world is watching!

Inspiration comes in all forms, where do you get yours from?
Everywhere…I come from a family of hard workers, it’s all we’ve ever known and seen. I am inspired by where I am from; I come from a small town and what my parents managed to do from the situation inspires me. I do not want to fail them. I have also created another generation, my son inspires me every day to be a better man.

How do you practice remaining constant in your craft?
I believe that we all want to make it. Not all of us reach our goals; so I believe that I need to be the best at what I do, when I do it. My last job is the only CV I have so I constantly have to reinvent myself and invest in myself. The industry is small, so if needs be, I will be the freshest, fittest, etc. I will always leave a good mark, no matter what kind of day I’m having. If it needs to get done, I will do it like it’s the first gig. One never stops learning…

What makes you tick?
Time wasting is horrible, especially when someone wastes my time. People who don’t come prepared are to me, very unprofessional.

The bush or the burbs?
The bush!

Are you happy with the man you see in the mirror every day?
Most of the time yes, but not all the time. I do disappoint myself sometimes, and judge myself…But there are always more smiles than frowns.

Follow Thapelo!

Instagram: @mokoenalive

Twitter: @ThapeloMokoena

Facebook: Thapelo Mokoena

 

–Bridgette Makhela

 

 

DreamTeam On Group Dynamics, Growth And Upcoming Projects

Trevor Sineke, 32, Musician
Lusaso Ngcobo, 26, Musician
Mthokozisi Mkhathini, 25, Musician

 

Why the name DreamTeam?
Well we’ve always been friends even before we started making music together, and the name DreamTeam speaks to the Dreams that we’ve always wanted to achieve, and the fact that we’re a tight knit Team. We have a strong circle of support which also falls under the brand so we’re basically a team chasing all of our dreams together.

You three are already a big name in the Hip-Hop industry, where to from here?
We’ve still got a long way to go to get to where we ideally want to be, so the name of the game at this stage is growth, and consistency. We want to develop the DreamTeam brand to be a continental powerhouse, so our focus this year is creating and establishing partnerships and relationships that will allow us to grow in other African countries. That means more collaborations, promo tours, performances etc…

KwaZulu Natal will always be home right? Do you guys now reside in Jozi full-time?
Yes KwaZulu Natal will always be home to us. We’re currently in Johannesburg to fulfil some of our work obligations, but KZN and Durban still play a big role in our lives, as our strongest support base.

How do you guys manage to keep your schedules in-sync?
We have a really strong team, and although it gets hectic at times they are responsible for keeping our schedules aligned.

Who decides on the daily look of the group?
We all have an input into what we dress like; we’ll normally have a conversation around it and decide on a look that everybody is comfortable with.

How has the album been received so far?
The reception to the album has been fantastic. It took a bit of time to get traction around it but people have been really responsive and seem to love the body of work we put out. We’re still on that campaign trail to push it more and create a stronger awareness, and we’re still planning to tour, so we’re expecting more positive feedback from people that are yet to hear it.

Any new music your fans can look out for soon?
Yes we have a lot of new music coming in the near future; we’ve got a couple of features, most notably with PatoRanking for his album and Duncan for his. We might be dropping a video very soon too.

Who keeps everyone in check between you guys? Lol
Depends on who needs to be kept in check really…But we all rely on each other to keep the team in line.

Cape Town or Gauteng?
Cape Town!

What are DreamTeam’s future plans?
We are hoping to drop a new video and single soon, we’ve had a great response to our current single, ‘Shandis’ so we’re hoping the new single at least matches that. We are also doing an event called Dubane Spring Break in September, last year it brought in over 10 000 people so we’re hoping to top that…Other than that, expect a tour, and possibly a new album.

Follow DreamTeam!

Instagram: @dreamteamdbn

Twitter: @DreamTeamDBN

Facebook: Dreamteam_DBN

 

–Bridgette Makhela