Phuti’s expo to tap into SA modelling talent
Former beauty queen’s dream finally a reality
Former Muvhango actress Phuti Khomo is set to come out of her two-year hiatus with a first ever South African modelling expo.
The former actress who was once a beauty queen says she will fly in international industry experts in December for a face-to-face interaction with aspiring models in SA.
The Phuti Khomo Modelling Expo is also open to parents who want to learn more about the industry their children have an interest in.
Speaking to Time Out about her new venture, Khomo says she was saddened by the level at which aspiring models were taken advantage of, sold dreams and exposed to human trafficking.
“I am bringing modelling agencies from New York, London and Paris to come here and scout talent in one event. I am also bringing credible modelling agencies from South Africa. I say credible because there are a lot of fly-bynight agencies that are doing wrong and exploiting people.”
Khomo says she has been working on the expo which is her brainchild for the past two years, and it was almost hijacked. “I’ve had so many disappointments from people. I’ve had provinces that wanted to take this from me. This thing was supposed to happen last year and I had partnered with a province that I can’t mention. The magnitude of this is so big that it will bring everyone from all over the country to the province.
“They thought because I am a woman and young they could take this from me and I didn’t know how to protect myself to the point where they wanted to hijack the idea and make it look like it’s the province’s idea so I had to cancel last year. Thank goodness I had not announced anything yet.”
The star says she has invested more than R1m of her personal savings into the project.
“That is why it has become my personal baby. I could not have any destruction. I could not go back to radio or TV because when you work you don’t have the time.”
The lanky star says the expo will also comprise workshops of all things beauty including lessons on how to apply makeup, how to lose weight in a healthy way and how to take care of one’s skin.
“Stylists will be there to teach people the tricks of styling like what to wear for different body sizes and what are the things that flatter your body.
“There will also be doctors there to warn people about the dangers of losing weight the wrong way and the diseases involved like bulimia and anorexia.”
Khomo’s Instagram page resembles a glossy travel magazine and she says she spent the past two years globetrotting as she sourced international agencies to work with on her project. “I travelled a lot. There is not space to act, do radio or anything else because otherwise it will not give me time to go to Paris, London or New York to get to agents and to have meetings with the people I need to meet with.”
The actress says she has also recently aligned herself with an international acting agency to help expand her career to the international market.
She got engaged to her longterm partner during her hiatus but broke it off because she did not feel ready. “I broke off the engagement last year. I’m still with the same person. Sometimes I have the ring on, sometimes I don’t. When I’m ready I will do it again officially.”