As you know, for the entire month of August ZAlebs has been running exclusive women's day content where we speak to some of SA's most influential female figures in the entertainment industry. This week we had the fortune of speaking to YFM DJ, as well as host of ETV's Step Up or Step Out, Tumi Voster. We spoke to Tumi about her career, her healthy habits, as well as of course, Women's month.
Morning Tumi and welcome to ZAlebs, we're very excited to have you here. You're very busy right now, how are things going with Step Up or Step Out?
I'm really good. Things have been going well, we just finished shooting the season, and now all we are left with is the finale. I'm really excited about how the groups are taking the challenges so seriously. On your screens it will look like it's been shot in a week, but it everything actually took place one day after another. The guys have shown a lot of talent and passion, and it's been great to experience it behind the scenes.
If I had to push you to give us 2 acts to watch out for, who would it be?
Probably Snap, Crackle and Pop and De Ja Vu. The talent and dedication that they have shown is incredible!
My last proper meal for the week will be 2moro at 7h30am, for the next few days I'll be living on liquids! ☹ #thiscantbelife
— Tumi Voster ♉ (@TumiVoster) August 15, 2013
You're quite healthy and fit, you gym a lot and you're proud of this. What is this about you going onto a liquid diet?!
No, no, let me explain! I'm actually having my wisdoms removed and therefore won't be able to eat solids! I'm just going to be sticking to liquids for about a week
Oh, phew! With that in mind, how difficult is it to maintain a stay healthy with your hectic schedule?
It's not very difficult to be honest. I eat mostly from home rather from the road. I prefer not to eat from fast food places and believe me, everyone in the office is always doing it, so its easy to put on weight. Sticking to home made food makes it so much easier for me.
You're quite a multifaceted personality as it is, being on Radio as well as TV with your presenting gigs, do you see yourself branching out further into acting, music or other performance?
Definitely not music! Acting, on the other hand, is something I have considered. But before I ever committed to any new gig, I like to believe that I'd have to learn a lot. I don't think that I'm a born actress, so I'd have to sit down and learn everything from the ground up. I didn't know I had the talent for presenting until the opportunity came, but I still had to work hard and learn. Likewise, I think the best way I could respect all the talented actors out there is to master the craft myself before taking to the screen.
If you were to be an actress, hypothetically, what kinds of roles do you see yourself going for?
If I were to do it hypothetically, I don't think I'd do anything extreme. Something more comfortable, like a role on like Generations, is what I'd probably go for. Something that doesn't require me to be too hectic or a dramatically different person. A movie would be a little too intense to start with!
We're running a lot of Women's month content on ZAlebs this month. What do you think of the way SA is treating its ladies?
You know, we've been fighting a battle of equality, to get women on par with men. It's very important for women to realize that we are actually running our own race. There are certain things that we need to fix for ourselves before we start looking at our male counterparts. The big one is women empowerment. This woman-on-woman hate, where a lot of ladies are like "If my name is at the top, that's all I care about" But what about other women? We need to try and create platforms for the younger generations to rise up and achieve the same success.
Empowerment is a big word that I hear on this topic. Are there any initiatives out there empowering women?
There are many, but we need to see more. I remember I participated in an event called Pink Thursdays a few years ago where women could engage and network; where they could listen and hear what women who have made it had to go through. I think more programs like this will be excellent.
Looking at your industry, are you happy with the opportunities that exist for you as well as other women to make a success of themselves?
I wouldn't quite say I'm happy. There's a lot of opportunities that are given to women based on their looks and because they are pretty and popular rather than talented. I feel like that takes away what the industry is all about because there are other women who are talented but aren't exposed to the same opportunities.