The Throne Magazine Jun/Jul 2021: Featuring Cover Star Mbali Mkhize

Interview: Khensani Mohlatlole

Photography: RTC Studios

Make-up: Beez Glam Studios | imakeyoubelieve

Hair: Beez Glam Studios

Dress: Orapeleng Modutle

Mbali Mkhize was first introduced to the greater South African public on the very first season of The Bachelor South Africa. She left “viewers shaken” when she decided to voluntarily leave the show, realizing that it wasn’t the space for her and was not aligned with what she wanted to achieve. The comment section of her departure video is filled with lots of other women admiring her honesty, staying true to herself, knowing her self-worth and for refusing to settle for something that did not share the same values she did. To her advantage, that is the narrative that prevails in the media and amongst social media audiences, where audiences feel that it have a better understanding of Mbali Mkhize’s character and what she stands for. Today, the charismatic beauty and lifestyle content creator boasts an audience of over 20 000 subscribers and 189 000 followers on YouTube and Instagram, respectively.

“Up until now I've said no- I’ll never be on a reality show again, however, reality television could be an option in the future.,” she said. “I see the way people respond to my vlogs; I see the way people respond when I speak about certain things because I’ve lived a very colourful life.”

Even though she was a beauty blogger and influencer before she entered the dating contest three years ago, it turned out that reality television was one of the best things that could prepare Mkhize for her career as an influencer.

“Did it increase my following? I don’t think so,” she says. “But what I do realize now is that back then, just being an influencer didn’t make sense to people. So, people felt like they could pin me to something: the girl on Instagram who was on The Bachelor.”

Before that, she would have to deal with people interrogating exactly what she did for a living, viewing her job as just taking pretty photos and posting on Instagram like everyone else. While there have been strides in recent years to prove the validity of the over $8 billion industry, it is still difficult today to get people to understand this female dominated industry, and it was much harder back then.

“People undermine influencing so much, and it’s frustrating. People would rather stick to [certain] narratives. It is referred to as ‘being a slay queen’ but how? This is my job.” It is unfortunate that most people are still unable to accept that women can turn their desirability and objectification for tools towards their own empowerment and betterment without, at best, invalidating them or, at worst, slut-shaming them.

But Mkhize also understands that being at the mercy of the court of public opinion comes with the territory. This is also where The Bachelor would become a great primer. “I’m not going to pretend like it doesn’t hurt,” she said. “I was lucky enough to be on a reality show when my platform was still small, so I started with the worst. When you are on TV, people tear you apart. We were fortunate enough to go to therapy before, during and after the show. We were being equipped mentally.”

“They were like, ‘Mbali, you’re probably sort of ready because you are a social media influencer but now, you’re on TV’.” She had to learn that while people were going to comment on her appearance and behaviour, they were also just commenting on a singular perception of what was put forward for them to see.

She mentions that she does not think the way she was portrayed to the show was in any way false, and that she was in fact a lot more interested than what was portrayed. In the same breath, Mbali realized that in as much as the show was not for her and has come to accept and understand that what people saw was not the whole picture either. “I just felt like I didn’t have much to say. People were fighting already, stealing diaries and fainting. I felt so overwhelmed.”

Today marks 5 years since Mkhize made the decision to pursue being an influencer. “Five years is a very long time to do something,” she adds, as she has been considering the state of her career and impact in that time. “Up until a few weeks ago, I was feeling like my career was stagnant. I was at a place where what I was getting was no longer enough. I want more.”

Her desire for more is more excellence and more purpose in her work. “For a while I felt like a jack of all trades, master of none.” Of course, while influencer marketing is a growing industry, it is still relatively small in South Africa. There is a small pool of brands willing to spend, which does mean a lot of influencers have to choose between strictly adhering to a niche or paying the bills.”

“Like me, you can be a beauty influencer but say now for months work for beauty is not coming in. But you dress well [so] here is this fashion brand, or maybe you like to travel or enjoy good food and this campaign comes in,” she explains. “You do all sorts of things because at the end of the day you need to sustain yourself, you need to pay the bills.”

However, it seems that Mkhize’s not too concerned with niching down either. She is a complex human being with a variety of interests, and she would rather her social media places become a place where people can find everything they need. “I want it to be like a department store,” she announces, “where you can find a department for hair, beauty or fashion. ‘From Mbali’s page I can figure out what makeup to do, what shoes to wear, where to go on holiday.’”

Mkhize’s looking forward to the future, with plans on expanding her jewellery business Bali Buys. She speaks of her re-entry to TikTok and how much she is enjoyed the Black women luxury content there. “I haven’t thought about making money off TikTok, I haven't thought of the relevance of it,” she says. “I just want to be a part of anything that positions Black women in a place of luxury.”

What is great about Mbali Mkhize is how true she is to that Bachelor narrative; she is an honest and real person who knows her worth and sticks to what’s best for her. When you see her in action on YouTube and Instagram, she has the effect of the older girls in high school we all used to aspire to: beautiful, self-assured, and confident. “It’s taken 5 years for me to get to this place, [but you have to] just stop the self-doubt. Back yourself 1000%.”