The Power of Zamantungwa Khumalo.
Represent is honored to bring you an interview with one of its previous feature writers Zamantungwa Khumalo. When we contacted Zamantungwa she had just landed a major gig as the legendary Tim Modise’s Producer on Power FM. It was a good fit for Represent to get the exclusive tell-all from our dearest Zama. From her travels to her accomplishments, we find out how she did it all.
Firstly congratulations on your new job as Producer on Power FM. Well Represented.
1. Your bio in your blog reads like a summed up novel of achievements and experiences, how did you do it all and you’re just 23 years old?
This is the one question I half dread being asked, mostly because I never quite know how to answer it.
I think I’ve been very fortunate. I’m growing up in a South Africa, where, as a young black Zulu woman, there are a lot of opportunities – which my mother, or grandmother, for example, never had. I think I have just been smart enough to recognise what women before me did, and take advantage of the opportunities that come my way.
As for doing it by the age of 23, believe it or not, I don’t consider what I’ve done a “big deal”, I never really have. So it’s all ‘in a day’s work’ for me, so to speak…
2. What impact did travelling around the world have on your studying and social life?
Hahaha! What social life? You know, I started a twitter hashtag, #ZamaGetsASocialLife because, to be honest, I don’t really have one… I have a tendency to go on about how much I don’t have a social life and try and do a few social things every so often (I generally fail at this, but a girl can try).
As for studying, I think there have been times where varsity was ‘comprised’. I’ve written a number of deferred exams (mostly because I was ill or out of the country). But I’ve realised that I wouldn’t have it any other way.
3. The events you’ve attended carry a lot of weight – what lessons have you learnt and how are you using those experiences now?
One of the biggest lessons that came out of the different conferences I’ve attended was from interacting with the delegates, during breaks. I realised that even though we come from different countries and have a relatively different upbringing and views on life, there are a few common – I’ll call them traits – that we all have.
For one, it doesn’t matter where in the world you’re from, I’ve realised that we all want to know that we matter. Whether you’re a teenager running an NGO, in Seattle, Washington or a 20-something year old unemployed graduate from Soweto, we all want to know that we matter… We’re all thinking about why we’re here and what our purpose is.
For me, this lesson has translated itself in my everyday life, in recognising that every single person I interact with matters and that there’s some bigger reason for why we are here.
4. How did the TEDxSoweto gig come about? – Congratulations on that one as well.
Thank you 🙂
I was a speaker at a One Young World breakfast about two years ago… Kelo Kubi, the TED Africa Ambassador and TEDxSoweto curator was attending the breakfast. She heard me speaking that morning and approached me afterwards saying she’d love if I spoke at an event she was organising. When she told me which event it was, I couldn’t turn it down. I’m a huge TED fan and saw that as yet another great opportunity I could take advantage of.
5. One of your favourite quotes is…?
‘Dream the dream that scares you the most, the dare to make it a reality’ – by me (I have a tendency to quote myself, hahaha).
Looking ahead…
1. You were recently appointed as the Producer for Power Perspective with Tim Modise (now with Lawrence Thlabane), how did you manage to clinch this deal?
My road to Power FM was an interesting one. I was part of Youth Lab, a youth run Think Tank, and one of my colleagues spoke about a new talk radio station being launched. I made a note of it in my book and Googled it later. There was only one article written about it, at the time, and it was dated 2011… I kept checking if there were any updates and asked the Voice of Wits FM station manager about it.
Then sometime last year I actually wrote down that I’d get to be a part of Power… fast forward a few months and I found myself in a room with station manager Ntate Ferdi and Given… I remember one of the first questions they asked me was, ‘Why Power?’ Impressive resume aside, I’m pretty sure my answer to that question got me job. Yes, it was THAT impressive – a tale for another day 🙂
2. What does your job entail?
I could write a book about my job! Imagine an episode of Newsroom – that pretty much sums up my job.
I come up with stories that we’ll be doing on the show, from angles to getting the guests, to call screening. I put the show together and make sure its runs smoothly…
3. Working on radio is like a natural calling, I presume, as you hosted a current affairs show at Voice of Wits radio station. What trade secrets do you take along with you to Power FM?
Hmmm, the jury is out on whether it’s a natural calling… I think radio is a powerful (excuse the pun) medium. I love the immediacy of radio and I’ve come to appreciate how ordinary South Africans have an opinion about everything – from politics to sports – callers literally make my life!
I wouldn’t say I came with trade secrets to Power – I think it’s more about what value I bring to Power.
4. Besides growth in the radio/broadcasting industry, what will you be looking forward to in terms of enriching yourself personally and career wise?
I’m always looking to grow and I love being intellectually stimulated. I want to feel like the work I’m doing makes a difference and brings some value, and hard as it is, I want to do work that I can be proud of. I’ve started a business that I’m slowly feeding, that keeps me excited (and nervous).
5. Where to from here, Zamantungwa?
What’s next is almost the same as what I’ve been doing. I always say I’m in the business of making my dreams come true – so what’s next is dreaming the dream that scares me, and making it a reality. I’m at a stage in my life where I am consciously and deliberately writing my story and making sure it’s interesting for me to live. I often imagine my life as an actual book and I think there are times when I sit and go, “Hmmm, how can I make the next chapter interesting’…
Zama represents the possibility of where an active imagination can take us. We are all searching for our higher purpose, looking at the ‘why’s’ and ‘how’s’ of this galaxy and realising that we can grow ourselves to reach for the stars. No matter where this young woman is headed, she is a true reflection of what imagination can afford. Thank you Zamantunga Khumalo.
