Preparing for an interview with a star I grew up watching as she rose and shone is quite daunting. What more can you ask a legend? As the day of the interview dawns, the 50-minute drive from home to Rose and Oaks Media in Randburg, Johannesburg – a production company she co-owns – feels longer than usual. Many thoughts race through my mind as I make my way. This is Anele Mdoda – the woman whose work revolves around engaging with people daily through radio. Sitting down with her, I set the tone of our conversation with a simple question: Who is Anele outside the mic, camera, and boardroom?
“I am very normal,” she begins. “Something happens when people break into this industry; you feel compelled to be different, special, weird, or even crazy – a creative genius. But I refuse to conform. I am extremely normal, and I embrace it. The smart money in this industry lies in treating it like a 9-to-5 job, running it as you would a bank or an accounting firm. Our work may be public but beyond confidence and an engaging personality, there’s nothing inherently special about me. I prefer doing my job and going home.”
Reflecting further, she continues, “When you first get into this industry, there is this notion that it must consume you; you must be seen all the time. But I got to a point where I felt as if there was nothing special about this. This is why it’s so difficult to convince parents to support kids in the arts because the industry is so hellbent on trying to paint itself to be different from any other. It’s the same, and I think what would be beneficial is normalising it, but none of the security and benefits are there because people are so busy trying to be weird that we forget that it’s an economic contract, which I give my craft to put food on the table.”
I interject, asking whether fans are to blame for their perception of the entertainment industry. “To be fair, there isn’t a different person on the periphery painting the industry. It’s the people in it. We are the custodians of it, and we’ve done
