Coconut Kelz (played by Lesego Tlhabi) and Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh
Perhaps the most cliched hallmark of a democracy is the fact that everyone has a voice. But in a world where content is king and some social media personalities are able to amass more of a following than most people, some voices end up being louder and travelling further than others.
Armed with this knowledge, Coconut Kelz (played by Lesego Tlhabi) and Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh have used this exact phenomenon to catapult their brands into the stratosphere.
MTV Africa and BET Africa have acknowledged this and have given these two unique voices an even bigger platform by providing them with election specials to showcase the importance of satire and commentary in the political space.
The first special, titled Coconut Kelz: The Election has seen social media sensation Coconut Kelz take to the streets on a charm offensive in an attempt to change the hearts and minds of South Africans about voting.
Although all three of the dates set for the specials to air have passed, footage from the series and special webisodes live on, on YouTube.
Speaking to the Citizen, Tlhabi shared how she was approached by Clive Morris Productions with the idea that “this character will work well on TV,” after they had seen the success of her alter ego (Coconut Kelz) on social media. Together, they spent two years trying to bring her to television.
Coconut Kelz: The Election is not even Tlhabi’s first TV stint. In recent weeks, she has appeared on various news shows and TV programmes in an effort to bring a fresh perspective to analysis.
Her most talked-about appearance to date comes in the form of her sit-down interview on eNCA’s Tonight with Jane Dutton.
“The biggest surprise is how angry some black people were after the eNCA appearance. That surprised me a lot because I thought it was obvious,” said Tlhabi on her extreme brand of satire.
Those who are not familiar with her brand of comedy would be forgiven for initially being surprised by what she says, but upon closer inspection, her intention becomes clearer.
“I try say the most outlandish things,” explains Tlhabi.
As stated above, save for the occasional repeat, fans will have to resort to catching footage from the series and special webisodes on YouTube.
“We’ve done short webisodes on YouTube so people can see parts of the show that haven’t aired on TV.”
When asked about her choice at the polls this coming Wednesday, Tlhabi says: “Obviously DA, it will never change. Coconut Kelz will vote for the DA until Helen dies and then maybe she will consider something else. Lesego has no idea who she’s voting for.”
Joining Coconut Kelz on the crusade to illuminate the political landscape for the young voter is youth leader and political commentator Sizwe Mpofu Walsh, who anchored Elections Special, Choose or Lose, which aired across VIMN Africa channels: MTV Africa on DStv Channel 130, MTV Base on DStv Channel 322 and BET Africa on DStv Channel 129 on Friday 3 May 7PM CAT.
The special served as a conversation between first-time voters and the political parties seeking their vote with the aim of addressing the most critical issues that the South African youth are currently facing.
Like his new platform, The Sizwe Mpofu-Walsh Xperience (SMWX), content from the special can be found on social media for those who missed it.
READ NEXT: Coconut Kelz’s ‘My dad has a helicopter’ eNCA appearance is still confusing SA
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