Claire Mawisa In Depth

If you sit down to watch Carte Blanche every Sunday, you’ll know Claire. And if you can’t quite remember where you’ve seen her before, she was a continuity presenter and model when she was very young. Now let’s get to know her better.

- Pheli Ndala

My mother and I watched Carte Blanche  together when I was growing up, but never in a million years did I think I’d be part of a show of such calibre,’ says Claire Mawisa.

‘When the executive producer offered me the job, I was like, “What..? Me…? Are you sure?” It felt divine! I could never have orchestrated my life to take me to this moment, and now that it’s here, it’s beyond my wildest imagination.’

Not everyone who remembers Claire from her earlier stint on TV has been able to reconcile the way they saw her then with the way she is now. ‘I’m aware that some people will hold on to who I used to be and find it difficult to link me to current affairs and investigative journalism,’ she says. She feels that she’s almost had to reintroduce herself to the show’s audience. ‘People still associate me with the 18-year-old girl from 20 years ago. But things have changed: I now have opinions; I think; I write articles – I’m in a different frame of mind. And that’s what the public doesn’t get. I make no sense to them. I don’t understand what people think I’ve been doing for the past decade!’

Claire’s 10-year break from television was a conscious decision. ‘Presenting wasn’t cutting it for me. I wanted to do more on TV – beyond being told what to do and having no editorial say in the show I was presenting.’