Kumalo to create ‘own history’ with new show

BUSINESS tycoon Romeo Kumalo is “fricking nervous” about his return to TV after 16 years out of the entertainment spotlight.

The former Vodacom executive is one of five moguls who will be bankrolling budding entrepreneurs in M-Net’s new reality TV series

Kumalo, 44, who is married to Basetsana Kumalo, a businesswoman in her own right and a former Miss South Africa, will make his debut next Sunday.

He said this week that he was “nervous as to what people are going to say, like I look old and ugly”.

Kumalo became a household name in 1992 when he co-presented music variety TV show alongside Caroline Fassie. He also had a radio slot on Metro FM, but left the entertainment industry in 2000 to focus fully on business.

“People think I started on TV, but I actually had a Saturday and Sunday radio show, and then I was doing television at night and had a full-time job Mondays to Fridays in marketing,” Kumalo said this week. “So I had three jobs at 20something.” He said he didn’t like TV. “When I was asked to do this show, I went to my wife and said: ‘Do I really want to do this?’

“I’ve never wanted to be back in show business, but there is a compelling story around the show itself of entrepreneurship, ideas, investing in businesses. I am involved in venture capital now and looking for ideas.”

Kumalo, who co-owns Washirika — a private equity company with investments in the communication, construction, clean energy and ICT sectors — headed Vodacom’s international operations until last year.

“I had a very successful career in corporate, over 20 years. At some stage I decided I wanted to create my own history and to make a difference.

“Steve Jobs talks about making a dent in the universe, Steve Biko says everybody is a history maker and I just figured that if I stay in corporate my tombstone would read ‘Romeo worked at Vodacom until he died’, and that scared the hell out of me.”

Next Sunday, Kumalo and four other millionaire business owners — Vinny Lingham, Dawn NathanJones, Marnus Broodryk and Gil Oved — will debut as “Sharks” on the 12-episode show. They will be spending their companies’ wealth on budding entrepreneurs.

Sixty made the cut for the show. HERE’S ROMEO: Kumalo returns to TV after 16 years