by Thinus Ferreira
After it released the names and identities of the first 5 men last month, M-Net (DStv 101) on Thursday night revealed the identities of a further 10 men who are taking part in The Bachelorette South Africa during the season's premiere episode on Thursday night.
The localised version of the reality love format of Warner Bros. International Television Production (WBITVP) is produced by Rapid Blue, with Qiniso Van Damme from the second season of The Bachelor SA as the bachelorette looking for love.
Beyond DStv Premium subscribers, the season's episodes of The Bachelorette SA will be available to DStv Compact Plus subscribers as well, who will be able to watch every Thursday night's episode when the M-Net channel will be unencoded for the duration of the weekly episode.
On Wednesday, M-Net revealed the identities of a further 10 men who are taking part in the show:
Lunga Kupiso (30), Idutywa (Eastern Cape)
Height: 1.91m
Described as a "quiet, gentle introvert
with a colourful personality".
Lunga is a village raised, city groomed Xhosa
herd boy who grew up with a passion for livestock farming before moving to the
big city at age 14 as the very first time he ever left his village.
Growing up he lost his only friend to an accident. He was raised by his "uGogo" (great-grandmother) and "uMakhulu" (grandmother),” whilst
his mom trained as a nursing specialist, and only when she qualified, did his
big move to Johannesburg come about.
He is a double graduate from a
Johannesburg based university with a diploma in public relations and communications
as well as a BA degree in strategic marketing communications.
"Lungsta",
as his friends call him, consults with a continental government agency, which
sees him split his time between Mzansi and Ethiopia regularly.
Besides
surviving the city, his biggest career moment was 2 years ago when he was given
the opportunity to join Australia’s most loved sport - as a communications
assistant - an opportunity inspired by the infamous "sandpaper gate".
He is described as well-spoken, articulate, and a high calibre man who is "ready to love and hopes to be the one Qiniso says she
is looking for".
Marc Coetzee (41), Johannesburg
Height: 1.88m
A dad of two boys, aged 11 and 15. Marc is described as "an overall lover of life who
strives to lead a healthy and balanced lifestyle.
He is also a lifestyle and transformation coach and has a
passion for working to change people’s confidence and outlook.
Marc is an adaptive business
developer, brand strategist and serial entrepreneur at heart and says that he "loves
pushing boundaries in everything he does".
"Having played all his
cards at love, ready to try something different to meet someone he doesn’t
normally look for, Marc wants to complete his idea of the ultimate power couple. Marc is
in it to win it and is ready to give the other guys a run for their money."
Franco Basson (26), Johannesburg
Height: 1.76m
Franco grew up in
Magaliesburg and had to build himself up. His parents are divorced and he studied law at the University of Johannesburg.
After some time in the legal
field, he realized he was not passionate about it and he now works at Discovery as
a financial consultant and runs a podcast named The Weekly Order with two of
his best friends.
He is described as "a lover of music, he also plays the guitar and drums. He has
a passion for the arts and expresses his creativity through photography and
videography".
Franco had a high school
sweetheart at 16 who he broke up with and has spent the past 8 years trying to
win her back.
"He used his Instagram to send her subliminal love letters. After
a long wait, they saw each other again and realised that they had both grown
and moved on. Now he is ready to find love again and wants to ultimately get
married."
Aviwe Mahlakatha (25), Johannesburg
Height: 1.88m
Described as an introverted extrovert,
mature and curious, he was born and partially bred in Mthatha in the Eastern
Cape and then uprooted for primary and secondary schooling to Johannesburg with
his family.
A jack of many trades,
Aviwe is a media studies graduate who works as a radio producer for an online
station. He also works as a freelance video editor in-between and is a full-time
fashion runway model who has worked with some of the top brands on the African
continent.
Aviwe comes from a
close-knit family and keeps a tight group of friends who support each other. He says that he "loves what Qiniso stands for and her feisty personality. Perhaps maybe, just
maybe they could be a perfect match.
Henk "Swazi" Nel (28), eMkhondo
Height: 1.94m
Described as a "soft natured Swazi often
gets noticed by taking on leadership roles".
Originally from Cape Town, he lived
in eSwatini for eight years.
Henk then spent a season in Waterlooville,
Hampshire in the south of London while advancing his cricketing career. Swazi captained
most of the cricket teams he played for and the eSwatini Under-19's.
He currently runs his own
cricket academy that serves to help junior players throughout Mpumalanga and eSwatini.
"He has a wild party side that comes out as soon as cold tequila is
involved. He has a highly competitive drive and does not like to lose. He is charmingly
quirky and quick to grow on you. "In a group of men, he will make sure he is
noticed," he says.
He still lives with his
parents and says that he realises he is too old for that but that he is comfortable with the status
quo.
Vuyani Mashego (28), Johannesburg
Height: 1.92m
He is a weightlifter, crossfitter and a strength and conditioning expert and has his eyes set on the Commonwealth Games in his
weight class.
Vuyani gives back to the sport and is part of the non-governmental organisation Lifting Dreams Soweto.
He lives the bachelor
life, mostly training and working at a functional training gym he owns called
Urban Shack Benoni. He has been dealt a few not so great cards in the
relationship department and says that "he likes to believe he can close a deal with any lady and is charming and in tune with
his emotions".
He says he has "a really good vibe, is a good
listener, has high emotional intelligence and is a fashionista".
Keelan McManus (26), Cape Town
Height: 1.88m
Keelan is a sporty, active
guy that loves adventures and the outdoors.
His backstory includes losing his
father at a young age and growing up with an empowered single mom. He represented
his country playing badminton and had his eyes set on going to the Olympics but
he, unfortunately, injured his lower back while training.
Keelan has a culturally
diverse family and he says that "family means everything to me".
He is now seeking a
partner that can enjoy a healthy and responsible lifestyle with him and that
can keep up with his adventurous nature. His party boy habits are still there
but he is looking for inspiration to change that and describes himself as a "sweet and humble guy with a big heart".
Peter Roos (27), Johannesburg
Height: 1.82m
He is climbing the
corporate ladder and is described as "a gentle
soul, and just truly a nice guy".
He would make for a good partner but has been
very unlucky in finding love. He is very close to his mother and 2 sisters
and is very family-orientated.
Peter says that he is genuinely looking
for love and someone to settle down with and wants to share his journey with
the right woman. He enjoys playing sports daily and regular exercise. He
describes Qiniso as charismatic and bubbly.
Peter appeared on First Dates SA, and is half-English, half-Afrikaans.
Justin Lakey (26), Johannesburg
Height: 1.82m
Justin is a track and field specialist and competes on the local stage and is aiming for the Olympics
in the next 4 years.
He works as a sports conditioning coach and a sports massage therapist. His guilty pleasure is junk food, and he expresses his
creativity "through sketching and draws amazing cartoon characters".
Justin was in a long term
relationship before but has been single the past 3 years and describes himself as an "easy-going, competitive and
funny guy".
Kyran Wright (32), Cape Town
Height: 1.87m
Kyran says he is "at his best when
he is surrounded by nature".
He became a father at a young age and says that this forced him to grow
up fast. He returned to university to pursue an education and a career in ecology.
He manages important terrestrial and aquatic sites in Cape Town and works to protect and rehabilitate the ecosystems in these spaces.
He says that he has been following Qiniso since The Bachelor SA and sees potential for romance
with her, given the opportunity.
He is planning to move
into a residence on his nature reserve in preparation to settle down. He says that he is "very clear of who
he is and what he wants out of life" and that "this will be a true journey to
find love with Qiniso".
ALSO READ: Meet the first 5 men who are taking part in the first season of The Bachelorette SA on M-Net.
