In conversation with 'Sofa Slahlane's' Mzilikazi Wa Afrika

Avid readers of South Africa’s Sunday Times newspaper will be familiar with the name Mzilikazi wa Afrika. They will also understand why there was a bit of confusion as to why the renowned journalist would be hosting a show like Moja Love’s ‘Sofa Silahlane’ and playing a mediator of sorts.

Moja Love is a channel formed out of a groundbreaking partnership between Siyaya TV - a 100% black-owned Media Company – and DStv.

“I’ve always wanted to be on television. I had been speaking to a certain production house about it for sometime but there were challenges but when Mpho and Aubrey approached me and said they’ve got this idea (it was originally their idea), I said ‘no, that’s a good idea’ so I embraced it with both hands and said ‘let’s just do it’ and see if South Africans are ready for it or not,” explains Mzilikazi.

According to him, the show is all about the struggles and challenges that people who are in love (not only married couples) face on the journey to get married and shortly after getting married. Through the show, he hopes to help couples navigate things such as religious differences, differences in their cultural background, a big age gap and so forth.

“It’s also about the taboos that people are breaking just to be in love,” adds Mzilikazi.

The show’s format will adopt a cross between a docu-series and a talk show in which he will venture across the country to meet these couples, interview them about their issues and document the journey towards a resolution. 

For some shows, Mzilikazi stated that they will be calling on professional expertise based on the magnitude of some of the situations the show’s subjects find themselves in but more often than not, Mzilikazi will be the only help that most couples will have to rely on.

He will be drawing on his own personal experience after having been married for a few years and being involved in the lobola negotiations of a few of his family members.

“I married a woman from Kwazulu Natal… I’m from Bushbuckridge in Mpumalanga. We had issues you know… Like when we were driving from Bushbuckridge all the way to KZN to pay lobola, my uncles were asking why I couldn’t have chosen someone closer to marry” began Mzi, before adding that their challenges were nowhere near as tough as what he has seen other people face.

He added, however, that what he did learn is that the way lobola is paid in his culture and that of his bride were completely different.

The production team was resolute that each show end on uplifting note because even though they were tackling tough subject matters, they wanted to ensure that people leave the show feeling motivated.

Mzi also promised to set aside time each week to hold online discussions about that week’s show with viewers.

• What to read next: Meet the host of the Papgeld show

Main image credit: Supplied