Having coffee with South African actress and radio presenter, Leleti Khumalo

By Janine Moodley

South African big name, Leleti Khumalo best known for her debut appearance in Sarafina alongside international actress Whoopi Goldberg as well as here role in television soapie, Generations as Busi Dlomo has now moved to Durban to tackle being a breakfast show radio host. Durban North News' Janine Moodley hence grabbed the opportunity to chat to her about her passions, her challenges and her life here in Durban.

JM: Tell us a little bit about who Leleti Khumalo is?

LK: Well, I born in KwaMashu here in Durban. I'm an actress for movies, television and theatre. Right now, I'm a radio presenter for Vuma fm, something totally new to me but I think it is connected to what I have been doing before and that is to entertain people. I was a bit skeptical when they approached me to be a radio presenter but I said this is a challenge and I love challenges, so let me do it. 

JM: Many people recognize you for the role you played alongside Whoopi Goldberg in Sarafina. What has been the highlight from that whole experience?

LK: Sarafina was the movie that launched my career, it was also my first movie production, I was still a baby. I first did theatre, the stage version of Sarafina. In the movie, Whoopi Goldberg was great, she kept showing me that everything is fine and to just do my thing.

JM: Tell us about working on the set of Generations, what was it like?

LK: It was a challenge again because Generations was my first small screen appearance. We were doing 10 episodes a day and we are expected to know our lines for every episode but theatre helps because when you do theatre, you have to memorize your lines so I brought that knowledge with me. I enjoyed doing the soapie, it was nice, the only setback with doing a soapy is that you have to do just that nothing else. There's a tight schedule, you're not as free as you would like. Your'e basically there from 6am to 6pm, when there is a movie I guess one would have to arrange for that to be done.

JM: What made you leave Generations and get into radio?

LK: I did not move immediately after leaving Generations, I stayed in Joburg for some time. The reason why I left the set of Generations was because I had a rule to kiss only one person which put the producers and the writers in a corner as they do not know what to write for you. So it came to a point where writers could not accommodate me, that is when I left. The was a project started by the KZN Premier early last year which was what made me come to Durban initially.

JM: How is working on radio different from television?

LK: Its something very new to me as I'm only in radio for the past three months. It's something I did not imagine at all but is very beautiful I must say. First of all, we talk to people that do not see us but the response we get is amazing. I look forward to waking up in the morning, to interact with people I don't know.

JM: Have you ever messed up on air, if so how have you recovered from it?

LK: You know, messing up on radio is always turned into a joke by my co-host. If there is a mishap on radio, we just got to deal with it and move on. 

JM: Which do you prefer more, Jozi or Durban?

LK: I was born here, this is my city, I will always prefer Durban. For me I just cannot compare the two, Johannesburg is too fast, if you want to work, you can work in Joburg but with regards to raising a family, this is the right place to be. Durban is laid back, people are so friendly, you are raised with respect here.

JM: What do you miss about the city that never sleeps?

LK: I have not totally moved from Joburg so there's nothing specific that I miss at the moment. 

JM: Words of wisdom that gets you through the day?

LK: "Life is a journey, you will discover yourself every day" 

DNN: Words of wisdom you would give to those that want to venture into the world of television or radio?

LK: Fulfill your dreams and have a passion for whatever you want to pursue. You cannot jump into something and expect it to work. Like I said to you before, I've entertained people before and I'm doing the same thing here. So pursue your dreams and do it to your fullest.