Depending on how old you are, you may remember her as the young Gauteng woman who made black and brown girls believe they could be pageant queens, too.
In 1994, Basetsana Kumalo – then Makgalemele – became the first black Miss South Africa in the new political dispensation. She walked so that women like Zozibini Tunzi and Shudufhadzo Musida could run. She is one half of one of South Africa’s favourite couples, married to media and telecommunications mogul Romeo Kumalo. Since her Miss SA days, Basetsana went on to be a formidable businesswoman and carved out her path in the entertainment industry.
Over the years, she has been on the covers of many South African magazines and DRUM has been a forerunner. “DRUM represents something much more poignant and more profound than just a magazine. If one understands the history of the magazine and how intertwined it is to the history of South Africa, where black people had no voice, DRUM located that black voice. It proudly, boldly, and elegantly showcased the beauty and excellence of black South Africans. It became a fountain and a well through which we drew inspiration. It became an institution that affirmed us as the black nation. It brought our black superstars closer to us. It allowed us to dream further and bigger. It is through DRUM that success was brought into a realm of possibility for many of us. It played a massive role in the architecture of my public career. I am eternally grateful for the unwavering support in the past three decades,” she shares.
Staying power
Basetsana co-owned a production company, Tswelopele Productions, which was behind big South African TV shows like Top Billing and Pasella. She is also behind shows like Our Perfect Wedding and Date My Family.
Speaking on her longevity, she says the culture of authenticity and simplicity and the values of
honesty, respect, and integrity were engrained at home from when they were still children.
“All I have ever done since breaking into the public was to espouse those values. I can, without any doubt, attribute a great deal of my humble success to these values.”
Her advice to young women still coming up in the industry is that they must not be discouraged by failure. “Be in it for the right reasons, and only you can determine what those right reasons are. You will fail, not once or twice, but many times. Do not be paralysed by failure but rather embrace it as a grooming or pruning process intended to get you closer to your blooming phase. Be grounded in respect and humility. Empower yourself through reading and research. Have a giving heart and extend yourself to your community. Be of service to humankind. Lastly, do not take yourself too seriously. Have fun and enjoy the process.”
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“I am a constant scholar for learning and acquiring new knowledge. I continue to be work in
progress. I am a firm believer that if you think you have arrived in life, it is a sad day as that is when you will stop growing and evolving, and become stagnant. I intend to pursue my post-graduate studies with an international institution. I would not necessarily pick one individual per se [to work with in the future] because one learns from interactions with different people, and it is in the tapestry of different minds with different experiences that one’s life becomes richer. So, I remain open to what the future holds.”
The power of social media
When her career started, there was no social media, and Bassie, as she is affectionately known, says social media has to be lauded for being a trailblazing intervention and propellor of the
information age. “It has revolutionised trade, government, industries, and our very own social engineering. When speaking about longevity, I would like to think being visible on various social media platforms has assisted a great deal in the facilitation of healthy communication between myself and the world. In the world of misinformation, disinformation, and malice, social media continues to provide space for one to tell their story and their truth. It is also a broad classroom where tremendous insights to help us navigate this dynamic world we live in are being shared. Used wisely and responsibly, social media can empower. I think I have grown closer to the public now than ever before because I get to share some aspects of my personal life regularly and hopefully inspire others in the process.”