Big dreams can bring tropical treasure
I am not surprised to discover that Zanele Potelwa has just been diagnosed with ADHD.
She tells me she is on the superfunctional end of the spectrum, and I would argue she is hyperactive in the true sense of the word. This is a young woman whose energy knows no bounds, and who has been up since 4am on the day we meet.
It is now 12 hours later, and she has already co-hosted Expresso live on national television as well as her lunchtime radio show on 5FM. When she comes into the glamorous bar area of Saint looking like a million bucks despite her epic day, I feel her hot lunch might be rather overdue, as she has clearly been sizzling for a while!
Sadly, I can offer her only beverages owing to the hour of the day before dinner and after lunch but Zanele takes it all in her stride. She wanted to come here because of the glorious surrounds, and thanks me graciously for the San Pellegrino sparkling water.
I am relieved she did not want to pop a French bottle, though she would have been well within her rights to have done so. To top off her broadcasting success, she has just been made the new host of this season’s
Tropika Island of Treasure — and is set to hit the beach shortly.
Was it ever thus for her? “I’ve been like this since high school in Mthatha. I was head girl, I used to do the spirit committee, and I was a first-aider. I didn’t need to be one, but I still did it. I did anything I could get my hands on.” Clearly ADHD is useful in this regard.
She explains that initially she wanted to be a doctor, “because I come from a family of doctors”.
“My dad’s a doctor, my aunt’s a doctor, my uncle’s a doctor ... So everyone’s a doctor, and for me it was like: ‘That’s how I can help people.’ I wanted to heal people. But once I got to varsity in Pretoria, my mind opened up a little bit. I always say that life prepares us for what’s coming next.
“In high school, I was debating, I was acting, and I was public speaking. I went to New York for a debating event. I even went and debated in Australia, and eventually my teachers sat me down and said: ‘If you want to be a doctor, please can you focus on schoolwork?’
But the radio bug bit at university, and during an internship at 5FM she changed course entirely. She now feels she is helping people through hosting warm conversations and creating a sense of community across all the platforms she works on.
It is a career path many young people aspire to. What advice would she give them?
“I would definitely say, ‘Stay true to yourself.’ Because one of the things a lot of people told me was that I didn’t have a brand, so how was I going to get on radio? How was I going to get on TV? Things like that. They said, ‘You’re another girl, and that’s it.’
“So I would say to young people, ‘Stay true to yourself.’ Because I just told the people who were negative, ‘I’ll figure it out as I go along.’ And I feel like I have done that to some extent. It’s not perfect, but I feel like I am painting a masterpiece. So just be yourself. Don’t allow people to bring negativity into your life, because if I had listened to the naysayers maybe I’d be an economist or something now. There’s nothing wrong with that, of course, but I personally feel I’m doing what I’m supposed to be doing.”
But isn’t it also about devotion to the task at hand?
“I definitely think it’s about trying to do as much as you can. Because at the end of the day the only way you get to where you want to go is by taking all the opportunities that come your way. I entered I don’t know how many presenter searches. Every time a presenter search popped up, I entered it.
“One thing about the entertainment industry is that if you work hard you’re going to get to where you want to go — but you have to put in the hours. And where I am now is a bit of a testament to not sleeping and telling the boss I’ll do whatever you need me to do — making that coffee and everything else. So I think working hard and staying true to yourself are very important.”
And it is all paying off, including her youthful tropical island dream.
“I auditioned two years ago and ended up not making it, which was fine, because I still had a lot more growing up to do in the industry. And I’m so much more prepared for it now. Getting to do a live television show three days a week with Expresso — that is something that Zanele from a couple of years ago prayed for, because you need to get your hours in behind the mic to become good.
“So now, if someone were to hand me a live television show and the script five minutes before we went live on air, I’d be able to knock it out of the park because of all the hours I’ve put in. So I think I’m so much more prepared for it now, and I’m super excited because I literally grew up watching Tropika Island of Treasure. I loved that show. I think it’s such a cool concept. It’s a fun Survivor, and it belongs to us as a country.”
Does she make a vision board, I wonder, given that so many of her dreams have come to fruition?
“My principal at school used to tell us these incredible stories that would inspire us. He told us that writing things down was one of the most powerful things you could do. And he told us about a group of people who were asked to write down their goals. And then there was a second group who didn’t write down their goals. And a few years later they checked on both groups, and the people who had written down their goals had achieved the things they had wanted to, and others not so much. And ever since then I have written things down.
“When I was in grade 10, I remember that I wrote down a whole lot of things — from getting colours for acting to this and that — and everything I wanted has come true.”