Lending a hand

Lesley Musina catches shady characters and makes them pay for their dirty deeds on Speak Out.

Lesley Musina is a defender of the public, taking on one bad guy at a time. Season 10 Thursdays SABC2 (*192) 21:30

“I must admit: exposing bad guys is not an easy job, but it has to be done,” says actor-turned-presenter Lesley Musina. He’s the host of consumer-rights reality show Speak Out (2008- current) and each week, Lesley and his production crew travel the country to help people get their money back from “trusted” companies who’ve conned them. “As sad as it is, the show is their last hope. By the time they write in, they have tried everything to get their money back, so we step in to make sure that justice is served,” adds Lesley, who played self- entitled Prince Todani on Scandal! (2005- current, see p16) from August to December in 2014, and spoilt-brat businessman Ndalamo on Muvhango (1997- current, see p9) from August 2014 to February 2017. So what does it take to stand up to baddies?

You’ve been hosting Speak Out since 2016 – what surprised you most about the show? I was anxious when I joined. Speak Out is about protecting people and as the presenter, I have the responsibility to keep them calm while getting to the bottom of matters. Tensions run high as the perpetrators hide their embarrassment with anger and the victims are equally frustrated. It’s rewarding seeing bad guys named and shamed. What’s the most important part of the production phase behind the scenes? There’s a lot of research before an episode airs. As much as we’d like to raid the corrupt companies when we get complaints, we have to get proper evidence first. How would you describe your hosting style? I am a reserved person and violence is never an option with me. We’re dealing with real-life issues, so I try to keep the peace. I do have different roles on the show, like being a mediator, friend and sometimes even the bad cop. Do you have a stand-out episode? My first episode [Thursday 6 October 2016] is my favourite. We helped former miner Mr Magae – he bought tractors from a dodgy transport company that didn’t supply the vehicles. He’d been trying to get his money from them for over four years, but they refused. We helped him get his hard- earned funds back, as well as the smile on his face. That experience reassured me that presenting Speak Out was worth the hard work. It must be terrifying going face-to-face with these corrupt business owners. Any scary episodes that come to mind? I’m so glad that there haven’t been any yet! [Laughs] There are no similar cases on the show, but the responses from the shady business owners is always the same. They start off denying the matter until we prove that they are guilty. Some take ownership of their mistakes by apologising, some get more aggressive. At the end of the day, we are all human and we all make mistakes. You started your TV career on soapies. How did you find the change from acting to presenting? I had to adjust to reality TV quickly when I joined – it is fast and there are no scripts. I never know what’s going to happen next and that is a bit nerve-wracking. And we’ve heard that you DJ too – do you have time for music? I still turn tables! I play at events too. Music is a way for me to escape and relax from my television jobs. I play everything from oldschool hip-hop to house music. Lesley was best known as Muvhango’s Ndalamo before joining Speak Out.