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MaBlerh is the host of the Real Housewives of Durban reunion.
If the season is anything to go by, then the reunion is going to be epic.
Real Housewives of Durban gave South Africans a third season which was filled with drama, catty fights and tears.
Now days have gone by since viewers got a dose of the weekly theatrics in the last episode and the first part of the reunion will air on 3 May.
Drum sits down with the man at the helm, MaBlerh.
Real name Mthokozisi Cele, MaBlerh (38) says he has been a fan of the franchise since the first season.
“I have been watching since the first season and I am aware of all the nuances of the relationships,” he says.
His upbringing makes him the best man for the job, he says.
“I grew up in a family with a lot of female cousins around me, there was always a full house. I became their sounding board even when they were fighting with each other. I understand women. I know how women think, how they relate and how they resolve conflict. So even as a guy, I am able to immerse myself in women’s business.
“Also, men mustn’t lie, women’s business is nice. Do you know how many men watch RHOD and they pretend like they don’t? We like the drama and scandal of it all too.
“Because I have watched the show from the first season, I understand these ladies. I am aware of the seriousness of some of the issues that need to be tackled in the reunion. When I went to record, I went in there thinking about my Twitter timeline because we have been watching and commenting on the show together, through all of the seasons.
“This season, though, was different from the others. The ladies are raw with putting their emotions out there and as viewers we watch them and see people we know or ourselves in them. Also, the toxicity and the heaviness has been brought to the front of the show.
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“As much as everything has to be entertaining and fun, I also understand that it cannot be flippant and kid gloves are needed. There are sensitive issues that we needed to navigate through.”
From “I’m not broke, I’m financially overstretched” to “hit, cry, run”, MaBlerh says he left no stone unturned.
“I have the advantage of being a Durbanite, which means I understand how Durban people do things and I have been a viewer from the first season, so my questions and follow up questions come from an informed place.
“This season I felt like they were bickering about surface issues and not dealing with the deeper issues that were troubling them. I asked all the burning questions that I know the viewers had, no matter how uncomfortable. Everything was addressed and I am sure that after watching both parts of the reunion, fans and viewers are going to walk away full.
“I don’t know if there has ever been a host with some much pressure for a reunion. I actually asked that the announcement be done after the recording because I did not want to go in there feeling all of this pressure. If I mess this up, I know that I have to leave the country. Tanzania will be too close, I will have to go somewhere far like Cambodia or Yugoslavia,” he jokes.
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And his humour is something that he is definitely bringing to the reunion.
“Yes, there are serious issues that need to be addressed, but kuyahlekwa noma kufiwe (you can even joke at a funeral). I will be bringing myself and I am confident that I represented the viewers.
With a name like Mthokozisi, how did he end up being called MaBlerh?
Funny story, he says. His middle name is Blessing and in grade 10 a friend gave him the name MaBlerh and it just stuck.
“It’s a KZN thing where a person can be called Ma-A. So, Tshedi called me MaBlerh from Blessing and she even gave me the spelling for it so that it sounds French when read out loud. Now everyone calls me MaBlerh, even my siblings and my mom and I told her ‘girl, I don’t know you like that’.”
He’s almos
Source: Snl24.com | Read More
