WHEN you hear the name “Ntando Duma”, you might not immediately put a face to it. That is not to say she is not hard working, it just means you haven’t been looking in the right place. e.tv recently ran a presenter search for one of it’s youth shows, Craz-e, and Duma got the top job.
“This is what I’ve wanted to do since I was 13, when I started to audition. I have auditioned for so many shows and I did not make it until now. I didn’t think I would make it. Even now I am yet to believe it. Every time I wake up and want to go to work, I have to convince myself it is true,” she said.
To the selective eye, Craz-e might seem like a random youth show, but in reality it is a force to be reckoned with. Top artists like Toya de Lazy and rubberman, Dr Malinga, had their first TV appearances with performances on the show and Duma is happy to be part of that process.
“I love the fact that I have to put a lot of work in it and yet still enjoy it. It is also a place where I can be me and acceptable to what they were looking for on the show. If you saw me in person, you will see that I am still the same person,” she professed.
Although she won the presenter search, a lot has come with that win, making Duma one of the busiest 19 year olds in the industry.
“I do all the shows now and I am really excited about. I am on Craz-e, Sistahood, Frenzy and Shizniz. So I do everything for the young market on e.tv. I believe if you are really passionate about something, opportunities that are in line with that something are drawn to you. I love work so much that sometimes I book myself on days I am not supposed to work and I don’t expect to get paid. I just go there because I love it,” she said.
Given that some of these shows have made stars out of people like Pabi Moloi and Pearl Modiade, Duma is seemingly headed that way and has her own theories as to why now is the best time.
“I think it’s because I have grown and I know how it’s done. If you compare this audition and my first one, you will see a huge difference.”
However, with celebrity come the glitz and glamour coupled with bits of drama. Duma soon learnt that not everything will be as good as she had hoped for.
“What I don’t like about being on this platform is that once you enter it, you do not have a private life. Everything you do is out there, even if you try hard to hide it people people will know. So you can’t have personal time where you go out with a friend or colleague and not hope someone will see you and conclude that you are together,” she said.
Some 19 year olds are clueless as to what they want to do with their lives, but Duma knows where she wants to end up and so far has made inroads on some of her passions outside of TV presenting.
“I am busy with a lot of things. I emcee events and have a foundation called Inspire a Teen SA where we have relationship programmes with girls only. I realise that there are so many girls who need a boost in confidence. I do a bit of modelling. I am also an ambassador for a clothing line called YoMzansiWear. I dance a lot but not professionally.”
The Bonangs and the Nonhles started somewhere, and so Duma’s journey begins with e.tv.