The first ladies of television

From an award-winning director to a groundbreaking meteorologist, these five inspiring South African women tried something new, and became leaders in their industries.

Inspiring South African women leading the

film and TV industry

FLEUR VAN EEDEN

STUNT WOMAN IN HOMELAND, BLACK SAILS, MAD MAX: FURY

ROAD AND TOMB RAIDER.

FIRST: South African stunt woman to perform a full-body burn.

I was the first woman in South Africa to have my entire body set on fire. I had to put on a thermal outfit, comprised of 100% cotton long johns, with an underlayer that had been soaked in a non-flammable water gel and stored in a freezer overnight. On top of this was a dry layer of clothes that could burn.

When I was set alight, I went from extremely cold to extremely hot in less than five seconds. I was inside my own mind, oblivious to the surrounding crew.

Two years ago, I was Alicia Vika nd er’ s stunt double in Tomb Raider. One stunt made use of computer-generated imagery. We had to fake standing precariously on the branches of a tree as it toppled over a waterfall, then bounce between one branch and the next, freefalling into the water below.

Most people would consider these

stunts dangerous and wouldn’t dare attempt them, but I don’t see it like that.

A daredevil is someone who does extreme stuff, whereas a movie involves months of preparation. We took almost three months to rehearse Tomb Raider. We had to train the actors and help them build their fitness through rock climbing, running and fighting.

I grew up in Swellendam and I was always adventurous. I’d be that kid at a birthday party who’d climb up the highest tree. It was during the university holidays, when I was working for a rafting company, that I heard about a new stunt company that had been launched. I was 20 years old and felt I had nothing to lose. My first job was sitting in a rubber duck at the V&A Waterfront.

Most people expect to finish school and become an accountant or a doctor. But there are other people who are different. Being a stunt woman is such a lovely career.

ANGELA PHILLIPS

LINE PRODUCER FOR WARRIOR. FIRST: The only producer in South Africa who belongs to the Directors Guild of America.

Warrior deals with the rights of marginalised communities, which is far more relevant in the political environment we find ourselves in today. Even though it’s set in the latter part of the 19th century, during brutal gang wars in San Francisco’s Chinatown, the costumes are designed to appeal to modern-day audiences. We’re currently working on season two, and the first season received excellent ratings.

It almost feels like his [Bruce Lee’s] idea for the Warrior series was way before its time [Bruce made his pitch in the early ’70s and it was rejected]. The industry wasn’t ready for it and neither was the rest of the world.

I’m the only producer in SA who belongs to the DGA (Directors Guild of America), the membership of which is by invitation only after you’ve been recommended by three different partners who belong to the Guild. It was started in 1936 and there are only 16 000 members. Being part of such a prestigious organisation is a massive achievement.

I got into producing purely by accident. I was studying law when I was asked to help on a film set. That was 30 years ago. I’m someone who thinks outside the box, and loves puzzles and problem-solving. I don’t see anything as a problem, rather as something I can learn from.

Aside from overseeing the tone of the script, casting, costumes and locations, it’s my job to bring together important crew members and mentor them. Every single person, no matter how big or small, is vital to your end result. If one of the cogs is broken, it’s going to affect the entire wheel. Especially in TV, where time constraints exist. We shoot one episode of Warrior in eight days. We have to do this consecutively and sometimes with multiple directors.

“I got into producing purely by accident. I was studying law when I was asked to help out on a film set”

CANDICE MCKECHNIE HEAD OF THE ENCA WEATHER DEPARTMENT FIRST: To take eNCA weather broadcasts live.

An on-air meteorologist is an anomaly because he or she straddles two different worlds: science and media. It’s difficult to move away from the ‘weather girl’ stereotype and there’ll be plenty of viewers who’ll tell you that you got it wrong. The secret is to remain true to your knowledge of meteorology and forecasting.

I fell in love with climate change when I was studying geography at Wits University. I’m not a pure meteorologist; I’m more of an atmospheric scientist.

This year, I’ll have been with eNCA for 11 years. I started working for eNCA three days after the channel was launched. There were three of us in the early days, including Derek van Dam, who’s now at CNN. We did three recordings a day, including a country-wide forecast. Today, we’re a team of six who go live from 6am-9pm. My proudest achievement is taking our broadcasts live last February because we pulled it off with limited resources.

My day starts at 4am with an hour of preparation, which involves checking what the weather was like overnight. I update my graphics for the show accordingly. At 5am, I go to makeup. I actually do my own hair. In fact, we do all our own in-house forecasting, which includes setting up the studio and operating lighting and cameras. Then, I’m on air at 6am. The rest of my day is spent forecasting.

I try to mix my forecasts up, so I’m not talking about the same thing every day. Today there’s a cold front in Cape Town, so I’ll focus heavily on that. I’ll do a five-day forecast or broadcast webcam footage of the weather as it’s happening. One meteorologist might focus on winds; another might focus on small cities.

Meteorologists are the people who are seeing the difference climate change is making [at the time of writing, it’s the middle of May, and yet temperatures in Cape Town, where Candice lives, have climbed into the 20s]. Going forward, we’ll be more important than ever.

“Meteorologists

are the people who are seeing the difference climate change is making”

LEBO MOTSOELI

SABC SPORTS ANCHOR

FIRST WOMAN: To host the FIFA World Cup, in 2014. I would have been an athlete if I wasn’t a sports anchor. I played provincial hockey from the age of 13, and I still believe I could play professionally. There are some sports in which you can represent your country at the Olympics, no matter your age or ability.

I’m as real as it gets. I’m not all pretty and no brains. I’m a qualified soccer coach, and I’m heavily involved in the development of South African soccer. In fact, my proudest achievement was becoming the first South African woman to host the FIFA World Cup in 2014. It meant the work I’d put into local soccer had been noted to the point where I was trusted to talk about the big boys, by hosting World Cup games.

In high school, I wanted to be an actress or a director until I attended an audition for Generations, and a guy took me to one side and told me he was looking for presenters. I attended my first audition for SABC wearing long shorts – just under the knee, which was the fashion at the time – a T-shirt and a cap. I was asked to stand in the middle of a room, pretend it was half time at an Orlando Pirates vs Kaizer Chiefs game and sum it up. I’ve been with the channel since.

On Tuesdays, I host The Ladies Club [a show on SABC2 that features women who are game-changers in their respective fields of sport]. One of the most inspiring women I’ve interviewed is quad cyclist Palesa Manaleng. She lost function of her legs after a cycling accident left her paralysed. The story of how she was never OK with being assisted gave me goosebumps. She lived on the bottom floor of her apartment and refused help, because, she said, “I needed to pick myself up and know how it feels to be a quad athlete when nobody else is there with you.”

REA MOETI

WRITER AND DIRECTOR

FIRST WOMAN: To win a SAFTA award for Best Achievement in Scriptwriting: TV Drama, and create a TV series for Showmax.

I would describe myself as a chronic content consumer. As a child, I watched all I had access to; mostly local, vernacular shows and cartoons on CCV [now SABC]. I entered a competition to make a music video when I was in high school and I learnt what the process of filmmaking entailed, from concept to execution. When I finished matric, I applied to study filmmaking.

My proudest achievement is when my series, Lockdown, won a SAFTA award for Best Achievement in Scriptwriting: TV Drama. Part of my research for Lockdown involved visiting a women’s prison during lockdown. What I witnessed there surprised me: their experience is uniquely South African, from the language they use to the songs they sing, and the communities they’ve built inside these prisons.

I transition between writing comedy and drama with equal strength. My writing is inspired by real life and recent South African history that hasn’t yet been explored in fiction. My film Mma Moeketsi was inspired by the Marikana massacre. I want my audience to feel enlightened and educated; but also entertained. Filmmakers and content creators should never lose sight of the fact that people watch TV to be entertained.

I feel strongly about mentorship in TV and film because I wanted an industry professional to hold my hand through my career, but I didn’t get it. There are interns in my company who work hard. They’re absorbing the energy I have and, in a way, mimicking my commitment.

“[I’m] inspired by recent South African history that hasn’t

yet been explored in fiction”