The Way I Am - ‘Staying Curious Is Key To An Ageless Attitude'

Journalist, TV host and author Redi Tlhabi, 40, shares her passions, fears and memories with Stephanie van der Plank. Redi lives in Hyde Park with husband Brian and daughters Neo, five, and Khumo, two

What’s your earliest memory?

My brother and I took the bus from our Orlando East home to school every day. That bus ticket was a source of misery, because I somehow managed to lose it almost every week, and my parents kept having to buy me a new one. I wasn’t a naughty or forgetful child, but bus tickets ended up getting me into a lot of trouble!

Did you have a career plan B?

Never. From the age of 10, I was practising my reporting skills in front of the mirror in my bedroom, holding a deodorant can as a microphone. When Mandela was released from prison in 1990, our family watched it all unfold on TV and I remember thinking, “I should be there.” I wanted to be taking pictures and doing interviews. That was the future I saw for myself, and I landed my first job as a news reporter nine years later.

The best decision you’ve ever made?

Buying my first property. There were two very tight years where, every month, I diligently put aside some of my salary so I could buy my own, small town house, which I finally did after I turned 22. Property was far more affordable back then! I felt independent and so grown up in my Weltevreden Park apartment; it was such a pretty, sunny place. It’s always been important for me to have a sense of autonomy, even in married life. I like to know I can look after myself.

And the worst?