Mabusi is just lovely. That’s the first thing one thinks of after our interview especially because her grace, fun-loving, and conversational nature has been interrupted by a glitch in our meeting. The day before – again – we were interrupted by a storm, which caused connectivity issues. But she’s here, glammed up and looking stunning.
Her hair looks great, and she shows me a pair of statement dangly earrings layered in gold. Both are from two of her many businesses – Glam Fab Hair, and Glam Fab Jewellery. She’s friendly, open, talkative, and very likeable. She laughs, shares jokes, and some gossip in-between. We share stories about successful Black businesses, and I commend her choice of bubbly for the photoshoot.
“It’s delicious. I’ll tell you where to get it,” she says, promising a plug.
Stylish, glamorous and relatable. I can’t help think she was the perfect addition to the show as another housewife and probably should have her own isicholo going forward.
The Mabusi we haven’t yet seen
Describing herself as a people person, Mabusi talks in detail around how much her spiritual journey and growth has contributed to who she is today.
“I don’t look down on people; I take them as individuals based on how they treat me – not on what I’ve heard about them. My belief and my spiritual journey also lead me to higher places, and to be honest, it is by the grace of God that I find myself here on a top reality show, with people liking me for simply being me.”
“I was born and brought up in Lamontville Township, in Durban. I was the only child at home, raised by a single mom, and growing up was alright."
It wasn’t difficult, but nor was it easy, she tells me.
“This is why I’m a very relatable person. I’m friendly, outgoing, and don’t believe in looking down on anyone because of who they are or what they have. To me, everyone is the same, and my spiritual path and growth have taught me a lot about humility and being a good person.
“These days, it tends to be difficult for people to remember those basics, and even to believe in something greater than them. I am a believer, so in everything I do, I always ask myself about what God will think of me, and that has contributed to who I am and how I relate to everyone around me.”
Mabusi, the businesswoman
“I’ve always been entrepreneurial. Since childhood, I’ve always been very ambitious, business-orientated, and I’d ask my mom if I could do something to keep busy, such as selling sweets at school. I just didn’t want to sit and do nothing. The world of business and entrepreneurship wasn’t what it is today in that you can just go ahead and start it with full backing and a support system. But as you grow up you have to play by the rules – so I had to study, be educated, go out there and get a job, and things like that. Business advice at the time was not readily available, and so I went into a job at Eskom and stayed there for many years.”
At the power utility, Mabusi says she was in various roles – so it was a long time, but it offered her time to reflect and honestly think about pursuing her own business full-time. Also – and she emphasises this – it taught her how to manage people, clients, resources and time, and strengthened her work ethic.
“I don’t regret my time there because at work you are taught to treat your job as your business. I was determined to go full force into my own company and put everything into it, even without a salary – and that’s what made me determined to succeed.
“I have always been the girl with a side hustle – even when I had a full-time job, I was still spending time and investing myself into things like selling hair and clothes. The ambition I had as a little girl is a talent and character trait that even my mom saw in me.
“She used to help me a lot growing up and instead of giving me pocket money, she’d buy me stock so I could start my small business in high school where I sold chips, chocolates, snacks – things like that. I think my mom probably thought ‘This one likes money’ and decided to teach me how to make it for myself,” Mabusi says, laughing.
“And I’ve never been one to depend on one income – hence the side hustles and now, the multiple businesses.”
I ask her about the yoni intimate steaming and business and her face lights up immediately. “You know yoni works!” she says, with a naughty chuckle. We both laugh out loud on the call. Does it? How so, I ask, interested in the details of this part of her entrepreneurship – especially because of the eyebrows it raised when she was first introduced to us on Showmax’s Real Housewives of Durban in Season 1.
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“Getting to the yoni steaming and herbs business was a ten-year journey of having the courage at last to go into self-employment full-time. I’d been thinking about leaving work, but everything was so comfortable – the benefits, the salary, the predictability, the security…But every now and then, I’d talk to close ones about starting a business, and I’d be scared after each conversation. I knew I loved the idea of doing something for myself and eventually, in 2019, I left Eskom and took that leap of faith and decided to do what I love, follow my passion, and put faith over fear. I was also tired of talking about it as it gave people a platform to create fear in me.”
“So, with time, God, and patience, I overcame challenges and decided that if self-employment becomes a problem, it’s my problem to deal with. I moved from the hair and clothes side hustles and discovered the world of yoni. I researched it, learnt about the different herbs and how to manufacture them for the various challenges that women face, and the medical problems they help alleviate.”
“Since being full-time in my business, we’ve developed other products for various female wellness issues, and we’re not stopping. We’re innovative and are constantly looking for and manufacturing herbs that empower women to enjoy their womanhood better.
“I know yoni works because I use it myself. I’d never recommend something if I wasn’t 100% convinced of it. It’s helped our customers with infertility, with managing menopause, and with enjoying their marriages. You also won’t believe the positive feedback I get from women who have dysmenorrhea – there are a lot of them, and they’ve come back with a positive story from our products. There are up to 15 benefits that our yoni herbs offer from just one container, and they’re all talked about by our customers.”
“If anyone says they haven’t experienced something positive from yoni steaming, I listen, find out more, recommend alternatives, and try to be as helpful as possible, or concede and admit that for this specific person, it’s not doing what it’s supposed to do. There’s always that one or two …But I still stick with my initial belief in yoni. It’s also a very holistic and natural way to wellness for a woman besides the pills, chemicals, and medications we’ve been putting into our bodies. It’s just a wonderful, natural healing process to include in your routine.”
In addition to her famed yoni steaming and yoni herbs business, Mabusi has other businesses as part of her company, KaSeme Holdings. Her Glam Fab range includes luxury hair and mink fluffy eyelashes, waist trainers, jewellery and accessories, and clothing and shoes. All of which she says will be coming soon with a website that encompasses her entire range of goods.
Her time on RHOD
Traditionally, the role of a friend of the show has always been very limited in the Real Housewives franchise. Yet, more and more and with each season you see friends who slowly peak into their own brand outside the friend who brought them in, and the other housewives. We talk about her time on the show and how she initially came onboard.
“I got a DM from someone and just ignored it for a few weeks, until a close friend of mine called to say that she had got a DM from a casting director who had asked her to be on the show. She put my name forward, and that’s when I eventually accepted the call from the production team. That’s when I decided to look at this opportunity for what it was – God’s grace. Here I was, being asked to be on a show as myself, in a format that I enjoy–reality TV. I love the Real Housewives franchise and shows like Keeping Up With The Kardashians.”
“I must admit that I gave it a lot of thought. I’d never seen myself on TV, never thought of being on TV, and needed to get used to the idea of me being on TV. It also had to fit into my life, and I had to think about how I present myself. But the more I thought about it the more it made sense to go for it. While talking to production, I told them that of the ladies in the cast, I knew Nonku through mutual friends. That was another deciding factor in my being part of the show.”
And what and how is the state of her friendship with Nonku? “I know her through mutual friends only. It was decided that I would be more comfortable around the ladies that I was familiar with. But I’m okay with her [Nonku]. As much as I came in as a ‘her friend’, we’re not actually friends – we just move in the same circles.”
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“The person that I do get along with outside the show is LaConco. She and I are great. I can pick up the phone and call her anytime to talk about anything – I’m not reserved when it comes to her and we’ll meet for dinner, lunch, coffee, and just hang out. I call what I have with LaConco a friendship because we’re not obliged to be friends or hang out – we choose to be, and our interaction isn’t just based on the show. The other ladies though are just colleagues for now.”
What about the former housewives – any contact with them? “No – but I’m cordial with current and former housewives on the show.”
“There’s this thing about ‘inherited beef’ and how some of us are taking on issues that are not our business,” Mabusi says.
“But how is it possible for me to not have ‘beef’ with someone when their attitude and behaviour towards me is based on their interaction with someone they believe to be my friend? Besides, I’ll react to what you give me.”
With all that’s happening, has happened, and is likely to happen, is it possible that she’ll experience her own beef – as many other housewives and friends of the show have?
“Hmmm … What I will say is that I’m a person who believes in being on good terms with everyone.”
“We don’t have to be friends, or even acquaintances, but one thing I’ve made sure is that with anyone that I’ve ever had an issue with on the show, we are now in a peaceful, better space; we’ve talked about it and have made amends. With all the ladies I can say ‘we’re cool’ – whether we hang out off-camera or not.”
With the accusations of tribalism that the Zulu ladies have faced, and some murmurings of a race war between the ladies, Mabusi says that it’s better if people learn the culture and language of where they are.
“It’s not balanced that we have learnt English, yet the very same people complaining about us speaking Zulu hadn’t attempted to until now. We are in KZN! If it’s a bother, ask me to translate for you and I will, but don’t make it seem as if people are speaking their home language to deliberately exclude you. That isn’t the case. I feel the same way about the differences in race amongst the ladies – we’re a diverse group, and the best thing I’ve found is to treat everyone the same and approach them with respect.”
As we bring our interview to a close, I ask Mabusi three more things – about her ideal cast trip and trip-mates; about her favourite shows and housewives across the Real Housewives franchise, and where we can find her during the weekend:
- Definitely somewhere overseas and exotic like Bali, Thailand, or even Mauritius. My dream trip-mates are LaConco (of course!), Londie (she’s a vibe!), Nonku (she’s lot of fun!), JoJo, and Nhlanhla Nciza. I just love Nhlanhla’s sense of style and her fashion. I think she’d add a great dynamic to any girls’ trip, and she’s a calm person too. Fingers crossed for an overseas trip and that Covid doesn’t hold us back.
- My favourite shows across the franchise: Real Housewives of Atlanta – they are so relatable and authentic, and they are very opulent. I also enjoy Real Housewives of Potomac; and Real Housewives of Beverly Hills – but only since Garcelle Beauvais joined the show. Favourite housewives: Kenya Moore – I think she’s so misunderstood; Gizelle Bryant and Robyn Dixon – I love their friendship; Wendy Osefo – the doctor has claws that came out and she showed us that she’s arrived in the most recent season, and Ashley Darby – because she started getting along with Gizelle and Robyn.
- I’m a fun-loving person who enjoys the finer things in life, so during the weekend you can find me shopping – I just love shopping. I also love hosting parties and get-togethers, and I also like learning new things, so researching and reading are also favourite pastimes.
