It had to happen at some point. As the son of the legendary soccer player Marks Maponyane, Maps (pictured) was bound to end up on TV presenting a soccer show. Not to say he hasn’t his own reputation, but the poster boy does not deny that his dad has had an influence on him since he was a little boy. While modelling and acting came calling for him, football was in his DNA and he still plays.
In a new show called Kasi to Favellas, the stylish man will give you a behind- the-scenes look at what is going on at the World Cup in Brazil.
“We are covering everything that is happening on and off the field in Brazil. We are talking about the culture through the food, the street life and things like that,” said an excited Maponyane.
Being a fashionista, Maponyane will also talk a bit about grooming and provide men with tips based on what’s currently fashionable at the World Cup.
“English players always get it right. They showed up in their suits looking prim and proper and everyone raved about that. But when the Italian football team arrived, in their three-piece suits and Aviator sunglasses, people forgot about everyone who had come before that.
“So this is the kind of thing we will be looking at on Kasi to Favellas,” said the guy who was voted by Cosmopolitan magazine as the Sexiest South African Man last year.
“We will step away from the games to look at things like fashion, the trends, the origins and compare who wore it best.”
For Maponyane, this is the show for anyone who wants to experience Brazil without having to visit the country. It is also for those who do not really follow football, but are curious about territories outside their own.
“Basically, we are doing this for the not-so-avid football fan. This will give them something to look forward to while everyone else checks out the game. It is more or less what you would get when you watch a travel magazine show,” he said.
While he will not be travelling to Brazil, Maponyane explained that the viewer will see fresh footage from the South American country on a regular basis.
“We have a team there that is dedicated to sending us interesting footage on what’s going on every day. The favela is the Brazilian equivalent of our township. So Kasi to Favellas simply means from our townships to theirs,” he explained.
• Kasi to Favellas airs on SABC1 from Monday at 8.30pm.