Big Brother Mzansi Season 3’s Sis Tamara Wabantwana was the first contestant to be a guest on the competition reality TV spin-off show called Sesfikile on Mzansi Wethu, DStv Channel 163. The top 8 finalist sat with the show presenter and Big Brother Mzansi Alumni Sol Phenduka to chat about her life trajectory, her gender nonconformity, life after Big Brother, and an upcoming short film that she’ll feature in soon, to dubbing herself as “South Africa’s next great superstar.”
Sis Tamara, whose real name is Ukho Samela uses the "she" and "they" pronounce. She’s explained in the past that she entered the Big Brother House to represent the Lesbian, Bisexual, Gay, Transgender, and Queer (LGBTQ+) community in a positive light and we can't deny that she did that. She is funny, bubbly, and quick, making her conversation with Sol Phenduka an interesting interaction, especially for viewers to enjoy.
She admitted that Big Brother Mzansi is something she had always wanted to participate in because she is “obsessed” with reality television. She says that her idea to enter the show is to change the narrative on the kind of contestants and housemates that make it to the show. “I needed to see someone like me on the show because it’s a big platform and I feel like people should know that there are people like us and we should be able to tell all of our stories,” said Sis Tamara. She added that believes to have achieved that goal because of the reception from fans and viewers of the show after her experience.
She confidently said that she didn’t win because it was not her time to win. Sis Tamara who immersed herself in the present told Sol that everything that happened in the show needed to happen the way that it did, and further suggested that everything worked in her favour after all. “Look at me now,” said the reality TV star.
Sis Tamara now sits at over 173K followers on Instagram and 33K on Twitter and receives so much love and support from fans and followers on a daily basis.
She says that her two personalities are different. Ukho and Sis Tamara are two different people, with Ukho being a shy and reserved person who may like people but interacts less. Sis Tamara is the bubbly persona that comes out a lot, especially in the media. She says growing up in eNtabethemba, Eastern Cape was hectic because of the many expectations that were placed on her by friends, family, and people around her. “All the time I was expected to step up and do what men do and I was able to play with the boys and the girls and I enjoyed both experiences,” she said. Sis Tamara has a message for you fans! Catch the former #BBMzansi tonight on #SesFikile163 at 21:30, only on Mzansi Wethu, channel 163 on @DStv. pic.twitter.com/eFM4ZoEexB
Born a Xhosa man and in a traditional Xhosa family in the Eastern Cape, Sis Tamara also went to the mountain, and for her, it was solely to prove a point. In fact, she insisted on going. “For me, it was a thing of proving a point, I needed to show them that I could do this.”
Fans on Twitter were thrilled to have the stat back on their small screens and started flooding the timeline with Sis Tamara tweets. One user said, “Ncooooh, it's nice to see Sis Tamara. I'm really rooting for her, she has to make it big in this entertainment industry, it's only logical.” Another one shared, “Sis Tamara wabantwana is looking like the superstar that she is. I love seeing her on TV.” Someone also took to Twitter and wrote, “I enjoyed this episode so much and it had me emotional. It was beautiful to watch.... Sis Tamara is such a humble soul.”