She may not be a main cast member on the show, but Mabusi Seme has nabbed a special place in the hearts of many South Africans.
Many fans of the first two seasons of the Real Housewives of Durban admired her as she carried herself with grace in challenging situations.
The first season wasn’t the easiest for Mabusi, with high school mean girl tactics deployed by fellow cast members – by calling her a wig snatcher or simply side-lining her. Then when she came back for the second season, her wealth was questioned to the extent that Jojo Robinson asked if her Louis Vuitton bags were real. Speaking to Drum during the airing of the second season, she admitted her past working experience taught her to be thick-skinned.
"For 15 years I worked with a lot of people with very different personalities. It’s very common to find people being disrespectful for no reason, and that’s how I became very thick skinned. Even on the show I never felt like leaving because I decide what’s going to make me angry, not other people.
"I also knew why I wanted to be on that show. Leaving because of how others treated me would mean I allowed them to break me and my ambitions. Leaving like that would be like allowing the devil or your enemies to win. The day I leave it will be because of my own personal reasons, not because of anybody else.”
But fans were left disappointed when the entrepreneur announced in January that she would not be returning for the third season of the Real Housewives of Durban.
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She has maintained a dignified silence since revealing this news in a statement she posted on Instagram, saying: “Let It Rain Films informed me that 'it doesn’t look like there will be any filming with you in S3'.
“I wish the ladies (old and new) a splendid season 3. I cannot wait to view it from the other side, along with my supportive, loyal followers that I gained in season 1 and season 2! It’s truly going to be fun,” she continued.
"It was truly a lovely journey to travel; being given this platform to create good television to inspire young aspiring females was truly a blessing I hold dear to my heart."
Many followers expressed their dismay at this news and some used social media platforms to call for her return to the show.
But while Mabusi has remained mum on the issue, her name has come up a lot on the new season. "Mabusi vibes" started trending on Twitter after Slee Wendy Ndlovu revealed to Mbali Ngiba that Nonku Williams had said that Mbali gives her Mabusi vibes. While Mbali has taken great offence to this, going as far as throwing out the wine she had bought from Nonku's A2B Winery, many fans have questioned why Mbali is so offended by this comparison.
This is what Mabusi vibes is in the businesswoman's own words excerpted from the interview she gave us in March 2022 – it's about authenticity, working hard, staying fab and being kind.
The Durban, Lamontville-born entrepreneur studied marketing management and worked at Eskom for 15 years before going into business. “I always had an interest in retail and in 2019 I decided to take a leap of faith and go out on my own and start my business,” she tells Drum.
She's always loved reality TV, but she never thought she’d find herself in front of the camera, she shares. “When I was approached for the Real Housewives of Durban I was reluctant, but then I started thinking about my business. After some time, I spoke to my family members, prayed about it and I warmed up to the idea. I was nervous about not knowing anyone, except Sorisha, who I knew from TV, and Nonku who I knew through mutual friends. But everybody else was also new to each other, so that made things easier.”
Out of all the cast members, it's LaConco she's bonded with most, a relationship fans have loved to watch develop this season.
“We would meet for coffee and have nice chats," says Mabusi. "LaConco would call me sometimes to check up on me, which I appreciated. It was genuine and it came naturally. She’s a really nice person to be around, I felt comfortable around her and didn’t have to try too hard.”
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If you follow Mabusi on social media you’ll see that she’s been serving us looks and it’s not by mistake. She says she is focusing more on herself this year and stepping away from giving her businesses her all.
“The show really broadened my perspective and made me think about paying attention to things I’d never paid much attention to before. This season I’m building Mabusi as a person and focusing more on my look. I just want to explore what’s out there and see what I like.”
While she’s open to exploring new things, elegance is and will continue to be the centre of who she is, and that includes her style.
“I always say elegance must never take a day off! Even my make-up, I want it to be glam but make it elegant too. But I also want to be relatable to people, being glam doesn’t mean being too much.”
It seems we won’t get to see her man on the show, at least not yet, but if she becomes a main cast member, the possibility is there, she says.
“Right now, I’m in a long-distance relationship and it’s not possible, we’re still deciding whether I’m going to move overseas to be with him or if it’s better he comes here. We’re still figuring it out. You have to remember I have my businesses to consider so it would be a huge ask.”
And she’s got a message for all her amazing supporters who’ve shown her love this season. “Just follow your dreams, stand up for your truth and what you want. We get stuck on planning a lot but don’t forget to actually try and implement your plans. People don't let fear stop them. I think fear is just a lack of faith.
"Have more faith and you’ll see."
