Munya Vomo
This one is for the ladies, especially those who know who the “WeChat” guy is. Maps Maponyane is his name and he’s been an obvious favourite with the ladies for a few years now. The somewhat shy guy is a professional model who was voted Cosmo SA’s Sexiest Man last year.
Now, cashing in on the hype that comes with his body and good looks, Maponyane joins lifestyle and wellness guru, Lisa Raleigh, in a new show set to air on Trace Sports called 101 Exercises to Do Before You Die.
“I need people to know that I am not a trainer,” Maponyane said.
“In fact, I don’t even train as much as many people want to believe, I am just blessed with good genes.”
Being the son of legendary soccer star Marks Maponyane, Maps has been exposed to football and other sports all his life so fitness came as a natural by-product.
“I started kicking the ball when I was only two years old. In school I participated in about nine sports so I just got fit without going to the gym,” he reflected.
But being on 101 Exercises to Do Before you Die with Raleigh, who trained the obese contestants featured on The Biggest Loser SA, Maps has to do serious training for instructional purposes.
“We are literally looking at 101 ways to do physical exercises and stay fit. These exercises can be anything from cross-fit to yoga. There are several lessons that come out of the show and one of them is discipline. With it, you can do anything, and because I will be illustrating how to do the exercises, viewers will get to see the discipline required,” he said.
Since Raleigh is a gym guru, and Maps claims he doesn’t spend hours on end in the gym, the two have a mentor and student relationship.
“I am there for the viewers. I represent the inexperienced viewer who wants to learn about fitness and Lisa will be showing me how to make the different moves,” he said.
Although this is his first show for which he is hosting a full episode, Maps is no stranger to TV and 101 Exercises To Do Before you Die is an opportunity for him to develop his skills.
“I have done presenting work for Supersport and I guest present on All Access. I am also fluent in French so I host a show for a French channel every now and then,” he said.
So there you have it, ladies, the nerdy glasses actually confirm that the man not only has the looks, he has a brain, too.
101 Exercises to Do Before You Die starts Thursday at 7.30pm on Trace Sports (DStv channel 188).