5 days ago
5 minutes with RHOJ star Lethabo Lejoy– ‘You need to be authentic'
There are very few things she cannot do in the media space. With her hands in a lot of honey pots, Lethabo is known for being an outspoken housewife of Johannesburg from humble beginnings in Seshego, Limpopo.
After she made rounds for opening up about the hardships of Black tax in season 3 of The Real Housewives of Johannesburg (RHOJ), TRUELOVE catches up with the radio personality, reality TV star, current affairs enthusiast, foodie and businesswoman.
As an OG housewife, what would you tell someone who is considering being part of a reality TV show?
You need to be authentic because this plays an important role. You also need to have a backbone. You need to be strong mentally and physically because long hours go into it. You need to know what triggers you. With reality shows, you put your whole life out there. You might not put it there yourself but people around you might bring it up, so you must be ready to bear it all – the good, bad and ugly.
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A post shared by Lethabo LeJoy Mathatho (@lethabolejoy)
How do you continue spreading hope for the children growing up in Limpopo looking up to you?
Through the Lejoy Foundation, I teamed up with other foundations so we can continue going to schools to donate sanitary towels. Recently, we teamed up with Mr Jones in Venda, where we went to a school to donate R120 000 towards a bursary for the best matric learner from last year. We also gave out 10 laptops to the learners and school uniforms. It was a big celebration, where the kids were cooked for. And, as we go to these places, we tell children about our life stories and how hard it was growing up, but that we worked hard to get to this point.
How much have you grown since the first time many people were introduced to you during the first season of RHOJ?
This show has opened many doors for me that I never thought even existed. After the first season, I got to host a show on 1Magic titled Ingane Yam'. That was the first TV show I got to host, and it went big. Additionally, I started getting offers to be an actress. I was an actress on SkeemSaam in 2012/2013 but after that, I got involved in so many things that I paused being an actress until recently when I got to be on Adulting, Magaeng, and Entangled. I've now revived the actress in me.
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A post shared by Lethabo LeJoy Mathatho (@lethabolejoy)
What would you never do or compromise on for a man and why?
I will never compromise my personality because that would be to bury myself. A lot of men would say I have a big personality, but I don't work like that. If you're going to be a man, be a man and handle my big personality. I'm not Oros; I won't dilute myself.
What are your pet peeves in friendships and how annoyed have you gotten over these?
Double-sided people. One day they are with you and the next they are with other people. I don't want to gatekeep people but watch out for such people because you don't know where their loyalty lies. And, the minute your loyalty is not with me, what about trust? When I see that in friendships, I leave because I don't want to be wondering if you're friends with my enemies and what you would tell them about me.
As a radio personality, what is on the radar for the new radio year?
I'm the host of Thobela FM's breakfast show, Ditla le Meso, so tune in from Monday to Friday, 6:00 to 9:00 for a bit of joy to start your day!
