Being multifaceted and having a finger in every pie is necessary for one’s longevity and relevance in this industry.
This is something TV and radio personality Anele Mdoda, who is also hosting "Celebrity Game Night on E!", is aware of.
It also explains why she partnered with fellow 947 breakfast team members Frankie du Toit and Paul Buys to start Rose and Oaks, a production company. "Oh Baby" is a reality series from their budding venture and is hosted by influencer and businesswoman, Olwethu Leshabane.
Each week, she will attend a baby shower with a celebrity mom judge, and rate the event according to execution, enthusiasm, games, resilience and mom-to-be happiness. The concept is similar to M-Net’s "The Wedding Bashers".
In a quick chat with Leshabane, a mother of three herself, she said: “It’s all about the family and friends coming together to plan these baby showers.
“We look at the colours, the themes, the guest list, the venue.”
There is a grand prize at the end of the season but the host is keeping mum on it.
She revealed: “We want people to tune in and enjoy each episode, which will be different. “I will be the common denominator in comparing and rating each baby shower.”
Siba Mtongana is a celebrity guest on "Oh Baby". Picture: Supplied
As someone au fait with how to plan a baby shower as well as be pleasantly surprised when one is thrown for her, Leshabane is on the pulse with the scales of the emotion of an expectant mother. Will this series be all about the Rolls-Royce of baby showers, or can we expect to witness some budget-friendly affairs, too?
She pointed out: “Not all baby showers featured are high-end. Some are fancy, some are small. It’s vast and different. At the end of the day, it’s all about what moms want. They cut across cultures.
“They’re mostly dependent on the budgets and the economic circumstances around the moms and/or the planning committees.
“We have your typical South African baby showers that include food, games and gifts, with a spin on the cultural element of food and games.”
While reluctant to reveal more on the celebrity guest judges, she eventually confirmed: “We have the likes of the gorgeous Jessica Nkosi; the fun and beautiful Siba Mtongana; the fabulous and crazy Kuli Roberts; the woman who gave us hope and shared her journey from domestic worker to MasterChef SA runner-up, Siphokazi Mdlankomo; and beautiful actress and mom Latoya Makhene, to name a few.”
Why should viewers watch the show?
Well, it offers a roller-coaster of emotions.
Leshabane added: “There’s a mom who’s risking her life carrying her bundle of joy. A surprise baby shower hosted by friends who barely know each other but come together for mom. A mom who’s been struggling for years to fall pregnant and it got to a point where it became detrimental to their relationship, as the in-laws were putting a lot of pressure.
“In one episode, a hostess at a nightclub fell pregnant and the baby daddy went MIA. In another, there’s a mom who’s had two miscarriages, one of which was well into the later stages of the pregnancy. And now she’s at a more advanced stage in her pregnancy than when she lost the first two, but there’s still that anxiety hovering.”
There are plenty of highs and lows and viewers will be fighting back those tears while devouring all the drama.
*"Oh Baby" airs on 1Magic (DStv channel 103) today, and every Friday thereafter, at 8.30pm.