Acacia
Full name: Thando Mati
Age: 30
Hometown: Soweto
Occupation: Model
Thando (30) is a family orientated model. She describes herself as fun, loving, a free spirit and a risk taker. She’s a foodie who would love to open a restaurant that only serves everything that she likes. That’s because food embodies what she loves most, which is community and togetherness.
She enjoys gallery hopping, going to festivals, but also being a homebody. “I love TV, and I’m sad I’ll miss The Wife while I’m in the House.” She believes she is a good listener, that’s why a lot of people confide in her. “I can be cheeky.”
She hopes that her presence in the House will make her relatable “at the end of the day, we are an incorporation of different environments.” Her go-to strategy in Biggie’s House is to be relatable. “I don’t want to be seen as a slay queen – I have my days where I look bougie and I’ve got my days where I look like I’m going to the corner shop. I want the girl from eZola to relate to me, and I want the girl in Sandton to relate to me.”
Nale
Full name: Naledi Mogadime
Age: 24
Hometown: Pretoria
Occupation: Model, actor
Naledi is a 24-year-old from Pretoria. She is a well-travelled model who describes herself as a “fine gyal, not a sad gyal”. She is a firecracker, but she is also calm and zen. Her strength is being able to understand and analyse people especially because she likes to disarm them.
Naledi says she might not be everyone’s cup of tea in the beginning, but she grows on people and “ages well over time”. She is excited at the fact that she can make R2 million from just kiki-ing with a few strangers instead of doing that for free in the real world. She likes reading, painting, and daydreaming and is a big flirt.
She says there will be a lot of flirting from her, but the other Housemates mustn’t take it seriously. She loves to laugh, is trustworthy, but it takes her a while to open up. She is someone who brings people together and is hoping to leave with some friends after the show. She’s a good liar and is hoping that her lying can help her win some money. She’s ready for the unexpected and is ready to be shocked.
Terry
Full name: Gugu Bonga aka Terry Treasure
Age: 26
Hometown: Johannesburg
Occupation: Makeup artist, adult content creator
A self-described “class clown”, Gugu says she has a very big personality, and stands for acceptance and non-judgement. Honest almost to her own detriment, she doesn’t like fake people. “I wear my heart on my sleeve – expect good vibes and a good time. But they mustn’t expect a pushover – I’m not the type to let anyone disrespect me.” That said, she says she’s something of a cry-baby. “I’m a soft thug.”
She says that she didn’t expect to be selected for Big Brother Mzansi, “but now that I’m here, I want to help my mother with the family”. She says she has multiple strategies to get ahead in the House, but she won’t know which ones to implement until she’s inside.
She likes getting tattoos, dancing and “going out for chilled vibes”.
Dinkybliss
Full name: Rethabile Potsane
Age: 29
Hometown: Johannesburg via Durban and Welkom
Occupation: Businesswoman
Fashion-loving and bubbly businesswoman is 29-year-old Rethabile. She describes herself as bold ambitious and passionate – she is “loud and proud” and believe"s she can transform people’s moods and lift their spirits when she is around. She enjoys socialising and vibing. She shoots straight from the hip and says she’s constantly evolving and learning.
Apart from partying, she keeps fit by playing hockey. In the House, she says she’s bringing “drama. Hectic drama”. However, she is “not going to cook up drama”. Her mantra is “don’t step on my toes, I won’t step on your toes.”
Her strategy in the House is to study all the Housemates and then align with the right people. She’s going to be nice and kind until she is the last woman standing.
Mphowabadimo
Full name: Michelle Mvundla
Age: 27
Hometown: Daveyton
Occupation: Sangoma
Michelle is a 27-year-old sangoma from Daveyton. She has soft, laidback energy, and she describes herself as outgoing and kind but with “zero tolerance for nonsense”. She is a doting mum who is also a spiritual person whose healing of others is both her passion and calling. She is a nurturer, and she loves cheering people up when they’re not feeling their best.
Big Brother Mzansi is something she’s wanted to be a part of since her teen years, and she was not going to let this opportunity pass her by. She loves getting tattoos, shopping, and cooking and believes that food brings people together. She believes she will leave an imprint on her Housemates’ souls, spirits, and hearts. She has a spiritual gift that enables her to heal, connect, and give closure to a lot of people.
She’s terrible at pretending and will just be herself in the House, but maybe hide the fact that she is a sangoma at first so that she can suss out her Housemates. She’s feeling a whole range of emotions but is mostly overwhelmed by the fact that she was chosen to be in the Big Brother House.
Yoli
Full name: Yolanda Glover
Age: 30
Hometown: Durban
Occupation: Performing arts teacher, psychology student
Yolanda is outgoing, fun and bubbly. She’s a bit of a socialite with an infectious energy, which makes her fun to be around. The performing arts teacher and psychology student is no people-pleaser, however, choosing to always stick to her open book policy. She’s also a good judge of character, which makes her an interesting conversationalist.
Part of her mission is representing the big girl community. She’s a lover of the human psyche, and it explains why she’s into fun banter sprinkled with honesty. She’s unpredictable, meaning viewers can expect the unexpected from her. Her strategy to win Big Brother Mzansi? To have no strategy at all.
Venus
Full name: Thobeka Mtshali aka Venus
Age: 25
Hometown: Durban
Occupation: Aspiring musician, bartender
Thobeka’s multi-dimensional personality will keep you on your toes. The Durbanite is the ultimate creative – expressing layers to her craft through music, making beats and fiddling with the keys on the piano. Also known as ‘Venus’, the 25-year-old aspiring musician’s layered character makes it easier for her to work the room and endear herself all the way to the top. Her love of poetry also helps, as it means she knows how to engage people with buckets of poetic justice.
In Biggie’s House though, she intends to allow her multi-layered personality to flow freely. It’s a strategy that would, if successful, help her to move through the hoops without rubbing the other Housemates the wrong way.
Thato
Full name: Thato Mokoena
Age: 28
Hometown: Johannesburg
Occupation: Accountant, content creator, actor
The eldest of four children, Thato is a TikToker who loves nothing more than dabbling in different activities to leave her adventurous personality unboxed. Juggling being an accountant and a TikTok content creator surely takes a fluid personality to pull off. She does it all with ease.
And although her outspoken nature can often land her in trouble, it’s the very same trait that keeps her genuine to those she interacts with. The flip side, however, is they need to come to terms with the fact that she will be blunt from time to time.
Having pursued a big break in the entertainment industry for 13 years, the 28-year-old bubbly Jill-of-many-trades sees her entrance to Biggie’s House as a dream come true, not one to fumble the big break, Thato intends to stand out in every way possible, from day one. This strategy, designed to set her apart, is meant to keep her around all the way to the finish line.
QV
Full name: Keamogetswe Motlhale
Age: 24
Hometown: Mahikeng, North West
Occupation: Marketing communications graduate
Fun and free-spirited, the easy-going Keamogetswe loves to understand people and says she isn’t judgmental when it comes to people’s characters. A sharp-shooter and straight talker, she has no interest in keeping her annoyance to herself when someone gets on her wrong side. Despite being described as ‘strict’ by those who know her, she says she’s kind and describes herself as a tomboy.
She says that her fellow Housemates can expect “a straight talker; a no-nonsense person”, but that she’s very kind and is open to understanding them. She says she’s an authentic human being, “in the best and worst way”.
On being in the Big Brother Mzansi House, she says she was nervous at the thought of bathing or crying on national TV, but now she’s excited. She acknowledges that she’s loud and that it can get on other people’s nerves, but that she has an ability to listen to people and understand them.
In the outside world – where there is a bit more space – she says she loves to go hiking and run marathons.
Tags
Big Brother Mzansi