OUTSPOKEN television personality and entrepreneur Nonhle Thema, whose controversial Twitter postings for the most part of 2011 pitted her against her TV contemporaries, says this year she will shut up.
Speaking to Time Out in an interview, the controversial twitterer, whose followers reached a whopping 100,000 this week, said she would be less controversial this year and instead concentrate on substance. She says she is aiming at building a business empire and empowering young women in the process.
"I have now decided that my Twitter space will not carry random, not carefully thought-out, tweets in 2012. I am going to use the space to inspire and encourage the youth to be also entrepreneurial and become a success," she said.
Without naming her Twitter detractors, Nonhle said most of the things said about her by certain celebrities in the entertainment industry were symptomatic of mediocrity and pettiness among her peers.
"This whole pull down syndrome comes from the generally held perception that as a young black person you cannot be successful in business, and therefore cannot be your own person.
"The fact is you can, and everything that I do in life is geared towards correcting that perception."
Under the umbrella of her new company, Nonhle Thema Merchandise, Nonhle has in recent weeks launched Precious Ivy, a fragrance aimed at the "young and happening", Nonhle Thema Hair and a website www.nonhle.com through which all her products can be ordered. She has also released a collaborative hip-hop song produced by Bongani Fassie, also called Precious Ivy .
The song is on Lagosh's new album Genesiqua, which will be released in March.
"Through this song, and her other projects, Nonhle wants to demonstrate that she is not just into useless celebrity stances, but substance. If she wants to work on a full album, I am ready to work with her. It is up to her," Fassie said.
"The hair business, fragrance, the brand Nonhle Thema, and now the song Precious Ivy, are showing that if you work hard you can do it. When I told people that at the age of 20 I became a millionaire, it was not to boast but to inspire the youth.
"But certain people in the entertainment industry became jealous and instead of getting inspired, they got involved in a typically pull-down behaviour," she said.
Well, without her three months' bank statement, nobody can say whether she is a millionaire or not, but what is without doubt is the fact that Thema is indeed a hard worker, having been on Vuzu, Channel O and O Acess, as well as her own reality TV show Nonhle Goes to Hollywood.
"I became successful through hard work, and now with these ventures people will understand the true Nonhle. The fact that I have lived in the US for some time and have seen how people work there - where everybody wants to be successful - is probably what separates me from my peers back home. I am a big dreamer and I am not apologetic about my success," she said.
Big dreamer Nonhle Thema aims to end tirades
OUTSPOKEN television personality and entrepreneur Nonhle Thema, whose controversial Twitter postings for the most part of 2011 pitted her against her TV contemporaries, says this year she will shut up.
Speaking to Time Out in an interview, the controversial twitterer, whose followers reached a whopping 100,000 this week, said she would be less controversial this year and instead concentrate on substance. She says she is aiming at building a business empire and empowering young women in the process.
"I have now decided that my Twitter space will not carry random, not carefully thought-out, tweets in 2012. I am going to use the space to inspire and encourage the youth to be also entrepreneurial and become a success," she said.
Without naming her Twitter detractors, Nonhle said most of the things said about her by certain celebrities in the entertainment industry were symptomatic of mediocrity and pettiness among her peers.
"This whole pull down syndrome comes from the generally held perception that as a young black person you cannot be successful in business, and therefore cannot be your own person.
"The fact is you can, and everything that I do in life is geared towards correcting that perception."
Under the umbrella of her new company, Nonhle Thema Merchandise, Nonhle has in recent weeks launched Precious Ivy, a fragrance aimed at the "young and happening", Nonhle Thema Hair and a website www.nonhle.com through which all her products can be ordered. She has also released a collaborative hip-hop song produced by Bongani Fassie, also called Precious Ivy .
The song is on Lagosh's new album Genesiqua, which will be released in March.
"Through this song, and her other projects, Nonhle wants to demonstrate that she is not just into useless celebrity stances, but substance. If she wants to work on a full album, I am ready to work with her. It is up to her," Fassie said.
"The hair business, fragrance, the brand Nonhle Thema, and now the song Precious Ivy, are showing that if you work hard you can do it. When I told people that at the age of 20 I became a millionaire, it was not to boast but to inspire the youth.
"But certain people in the entertainment industry became jealous and instead of getting inspired, they got involved in a typically pull-down behaviour," she said.
Well, without her three months' bank statement, nobody can say whether she is a millionaire or not, but what is without doubt is the fact that Thema is indeed a hard worker, having been on Vuzu, Channel O and O Acess, as well as her own reality TV show Nonhle Goes to Hollywood.
"I became successful through hard work, and now with these ventures people will understand the true Nonhle. The fact that I have lived in the US for some time and have seen how people work there - where everybody wants to be successful - is probably what separates me from my peers back home. I am a big dreamer and I am not apologetic about my success," she said.
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