The winsome couple of the 2015 Big Brother Mzansi, Nkanyiso “Ace” Khumalo and Ntombifuthi “Ntombi” Tshabalala, are still a happy item three months after hitting the jackpot with a R1 million cash prize each.
Now the pair, who shot to fame as the “we have nothing” Ace, 24, and Ntombi, 22, lovebirds in the reality TV series, have bought a property in the formerly previous whites-only ’burbs and moved out of Dobsonville, Soweto.
The Sunday Independent met them this week in Orlando West’s new happening lounge club, Kwa-Lechaba, where they were shooting an episode of their latest reality TV series, Ntombi ka Ace, to air on the pay-per-view Mzansi TV channel in September.
The pair revealed they are in constant contact with their families to arrange a big gathering, which will feature in their new TV.
The two appear to be big dreamers, a point Ace stresses as he laughs over a question about their love life:
“There’re big things happening in our lives. We’ve not changed as people… but there are things that are about to happen.”
While Ace wants to be in involved in business, even going back to school to learn about business, Ntombi wants to focus on communication and improve her English to become involved in public speaking.
The pair have also started to invest on the stock exchange.
Ace impishly pokes at her modest ambition, saying she must “stay at home” and he will show her the ropes in business aft
er he has completed his studies.
It’s clear they are still very much in love. They finish off each other’s sentences and practically use one phone. Their first business endeavour is an energy drink they have called Zegang!, an onomatopoeia of the drink’s likely effect, which Ace gleefully demonstrates: “It’s gonna give you the that electric energy like: Zegang!” he says.
The launch of the drink is imminent, the couple say. The couple possess a childlike joi de vivre, and appear oblivious they are the new entrants to South Africa’s minuscule celebrity milieu.
“We’ve not changed. However, it’s the people around us that have changed; the way they look at us.”
They appear unpressured by the big question South Africa is asking: When is the wedding? “Soon, not very soon. There’s no hurry in love,” both say.
“Our families have not pressured us into marriage. We still want to pursue our dreams. They know that there is no hurry in South Africa.”
The pair show no signs of changing their wardrobe: Ntombi was dressed in a burgundy, body-tight, ankle-length modest dress, with a plunging neckline and thigh-length straight-cut slit; Ace was dressed in low-hanging gangster-like brown jeans and a green T-shirt. There is no ostentatious showy glitz of instant success about them.
The couple is immensely grateful to South Africans for having voted them the winners and intend to communicate their gratitude in an imminent launch of their business.
Asked what has kept them together since their great windfall, which could have caused disharmony, they said: “Love and Sikhokho (the name they use for their 3-year-old son, Ntokozo) are our pillars of strength.”
Meanwhile, M-Net has confirmed, after a lot of speculation that Big Brother Africa will not be airing this year.
However, the channel remained mum on the exact reasons to drop the show.
This is their official statement: “M-Net has announced while regional Big Brother shows are being produced including Big Brother Angola and Big Brother Mzansi, the continental version of the show is currently on hold.
“Big Brother continues to captivate audiences in each market in which it is produced, and the move to to regionalise the show allows producers to re-evaluate the direction of the show.
“M-Net wishes to thank Big Brother Africa fans for their continuous support and assure them that in the future further announcements will be made.”
Last year, the show suffered a major blow when the studio it was based in caught fire a week before the season’s commencement.
A contingency plan was made and an alternative, but minimalist, home was built from scratch.
The run of bad luck continued as changes to South Africa’s visa regulations and the threat of the Ebola virus saw contestants from some countries canned from the show before they had even entered the house.
The show went on later than scheduled and a Tanzanian winner snatched the prize home. Speculation is the show was struggling to attract enough sponsorship to make the venture worthwhile.
But the sister show, Big Brother Mzansi, has proved popular, unearthing new homegrown stars like the popular couples Mandla and Lexi and Ntombi and Ace.
Sunday Independent