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From a maths-loving farm girl to one of SA’s most recognisable meteorologists, Annette Botha is bringing weather to life in a whole new way.
Vox Weather founder and meteorologist Annette Botha. Picture: Supplied
With her long blonde hair, bright smile and warm personality, Vox Weather founder and meteorologist Annette Botha resembles South Africa’s very own Wonder Woman of weather.
She dreams of flying high and empowering others – one weather update at a time. Botha, 33, describes herself as a sunshine kind of person with a passion for maths and weather systems.
“I am not perfect, but I am unique and have a passion for the weather and that’s what counts,” she said.
Botha said there was nothing to complain about because there was always nice weather where she was headed.
“What fascinates me the most about weather is the various ingredients that play a role in different weather systems – from a thunderstorm that’s so different to a dust storm versus a cold front,” she said.
“It’s ever-changing and never the same: every storm and every front. You will never get it 100% accurate. That’s what makes my job so interesting.”
Botha was born in Brits, North West, and grew up on a small holding in Pretoria where she matriculated at Hoërskool Montana.
She describes herself as a sporty nerd with a love for maths and obtained South African colours in gymnastics and high jump in high school.
“I loved school and consider it a good time in my life,” she said.
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After school, Botha studied for a BSc in mathematics at University of Pretoria. After failing chemistry miserably, she changed to meteorology and discovered her love for weather.
“I fell in love with the subject instantly, the maths and science of weather,” she said.
Before Botha completed her studies, she applied at eNCA for a broadcasting meteorologist position and walked into her first weather broadcast on television a week after completing her studies in 2014.
She said she was grateful for her family who not only always supported her, but also raised her to take risks.
Botha said she had to survive a few storms in her first-year of broadcasting weather and laughs when she thinks about how her e-mail inbox was flooded with hate mail during that time.
“After my first broadcast, [news reader] Riaan Cruywagen phoned me and corrected my pronunciation. Apparently, I botched a few town names. But in my defence, I am a scientist and not a wordsmith,” she said.
She describes her five years at eNCA as an amazing experience where she learned a lot about herself and television until the next storm hit her when eNCA decided to cut the weather department in 2019.
“It was a hard time and I just got married. It was sudden and very public. Everybody knew about it,” she said.
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Botha said Vox Weather was born after Vox CEO Jacques du Toit messaged her on LinkedIn out of the blue; “How do we bring back the weather.”
What started as a marketing pitch in a self-build studio three years ago, led to 440 000 followers on Vox Weather across all their social media platforms.
In recent years, Botha’s life also entered into a new season after she met the love of her life, Dewald Botha.
They met on Lion’s Head Mountain in Cape Town while hiking with friends. They eventually fell in love, quickly got engaged and married and recently had their first child.
Botha said she has never been scared of the weather but said after having her first child, Lente (Afrikaans for Spring) last year, they nearly got caught in a storm hunting for snow in the mountains.
“It started snowing that night and the power went out and it didn’t stop snowing. That was the first time I got scared of the weather. I was scared for my daughter,” she said.
Fortunately, Botha doesn’t scare easily and said while her biggest wish is to fly in an aeroplane into the eye of a hurricane, she admires American singer Katy Perry and other women who went to space and returned safely a few minutes later.
“I would give anything to go into space because you get a different picture of the weather system. There is nothing as beautiful as a clear satellite image where you can see a front forming and storms brewing,” she said.
While Botha is passionate and fascinated with different weather patterns, a perfect day in her books is sunny and spent hiking with family.
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