A ball of energy and talent
QUBEKA: ACTRESS, TV PRESENTER, DANCER AND FITNESS FANATIC, AFRO-YOGA INSTRUCTOR
Khabo: entertainment has always been something I have been passionate about.
Some of us don’t know how she does it. In fact, we would like to have the recipe of her magic, but we sadly don’t. Khabonina Qubeka is a talent and a ball of energy. Luckily, her energy is contagious, so blessed are those that get to be in the company of this multi-talented woman yet humble and bubbly.
While TV viewers often have a love-hate relationship with some of the badass characters she portrays on screen, it is impossible not to love “Khabodacious” and the positive energy she forever exudes. The talent woman, whose schedule is packed with work her fans adore her for, managed to squeeze The Citizen in her calendar.
Her new show
Qubeka hosts BET’s new TV programme, Fix My Love, that premiered on May 2 and it continues to receive raving comments from her adoring fans.
“There are so many shows in Mzansi, but this one is about love. Everyone is interested in love and other people’s love stories,” the 37-year-old said about what makes the show stand out, pointing out that it has no age restriction and can be enjoyed by both adults and children across all genders.
“We try to cater to everyone, and I would soon like to talk to gay or mixed-race couples. Little
things that are put together make the show delicious. The crew makes it fun; the house we use for the show, the content, and everything add up to something mind-blowing.”
She indicates that while it looks easy on the surface to host such a programme, the truth is it is not.
Qubeka says what helps her do her job as well as most can attest, is the fact that she doesn’t waste time engaging in things that do not help her grow or are against the path she wants to travel. “It’s all about dedication. I can’t party all night and want to do a great job tomorrow morning.
“I need to know my information on the couples I will be working with on the show, because you need to know a person’s story first in order to be able to effectively engage with them. It’s all about managing my time.”
Fix My Love, on DStv channel 135, is aimed at working with couples whose relationships are in difficulty and need mending.
It also has interesting twists – taking the viewer at home into the real lives of the couples who decide to seek help.
Ideal host
“I’ve always been a fan of love. I’m into anything that has to do with love because truth be told, we are nothing without it,” she said.
“With the yoga and meditation I do, I have learned that we must remind ourselves that we are made of love and hence must do everything from a point of love.”
Qubeka adds that hosting
the show has its fair share of challenges, indicating that she wouldn’t want her journey with the show to be any different. “As human beings, we turn to want to take sides. It’s a human behaviour, and this was hard for me at first with the show, but I had to learn to contain myself, be neutral, and remember that I have an audience.
“The show has taught me to be patient and it improved my listening skills,” she says, explaining that she loves shows that challenge her. “Dijo Le Bophelo has taught me about food. I’ve been off meat for some time now. Grand Masters has also given me its fair share of important lessons.”
The fitness fanatic says she has had to turn down presenting offers in her career, simply because those programmes were not in a direction she wanted to take.
The storyteller
“The black nation is a nation of storytellers, and having an understanding of this has gone a long way in helping me with my career,” she says. “Storytellers are very special people who play an important role in society.
“Storytelling involves walking in someone else’s shoes.”
Qubeka says although the media industry has a lot of talented storytellers, some of them do not take the industry seriously.
“We cannot run away from social media, and there are talented people who have been noticed because if it, however, if you do not have a journey and don’t know the
struggles of walking in the sun going to castings, arriving with a torn shoe, only to be told to return some other day, you won’t have the discipline,” she says, explaining in not so many words that those that recognise the opportunity social media has afforded them and are willing to work harder and learn are the ones that are likely to flourish.
Killer moves
Her flexibility is nothing short of amazing. Her dance moves and yoga skills leave many a jaw on the floor.
Qubeka says she has her mother to thank for this, saying that from a young age she would travel with her mom to music classes, only to find dance studio upstarts while her mother was practicing, leading to her gaining interest and joining dance classes.
“I was always the entertainer growing up in my neighbourhood, especially during functions such as Miss Orlando West.
“Entertainment has always been something I’ve been passionate about, and I have learned that if you’re genuinely passionate about the entertain ment industry, if you love and respect it, it will give you the love back.” Qubeka is also the host of a food programme Dijo Le Bophelo and educational reality show Grand Masters, both on SABC2. She also portrays a role of Nina Zamdela in Isidingo: The Need on SABC3. She is both a dance and Afro-yoga teacher. The City University of Hong Kong recently presented her with a Professional Creative of the World award for her contribution to yoga across the world.
I have always been a fan of love. I’m into anything that has to do with love because we are nothing without love.