by Thinus Ferreira
Leandie du Randt is the presenter of the first season of Love Island South Africa on M-Net (DStv 101), starting on Sunday 28 February at 20:00 and then with episodes from Mondays to Fridays at 21:30, where she will drop in to check on the Islanders - and maybe introduce some new Bombshells!
I asked her why she agreed to host this new reality show and how she's preparing, to what degree she might get involved in the Islanders' antics, and what's she's looking forward to.
Read on to find out Leandie du Randt's advice for potential Islanders who might still want to enter Love Island SA, how she's built her social media presence and her advice about success, and everything else she's busy with.
Why did you say yes to be the Love Island South Africa host for M-Net?
Leandie du Randt: For one, I don't know who would not want to host such an amazing, international hit mega-show. What a privilege.
I love the previous seasons of the different countries - UK, US, Australia - so to be the host of the South African Love Island version is just like a dream come true. I've always wanted to be the face of a good international TV franchise, so I'm very, very grateful.
I know it's maybe not really possible to prepare for hosting something like a show like Love Island SA, but how dod you prepare yourself for what you're role will be a what is required from you within the style of the show, and what you're responsibilities will be?
Leandie du Randt: So as you've said there are a lot of things you can't really prepare for because it's all going to depend on what the intrigue is week by week.
But we can prepare for the first episode - the 90-minute special on Sunday night on M-Net starting at 20:00 because it has a standard format since the show is a local adaptation of an international franchise where we are going to introduce the singles to each other, and they decide to couple up.
We are going to be introducing the various Islanders to the public. I've also trained with Fiona Ramsay, the actress and voice coach - because obviously I'm Afrikaans - so I had to make sure that I'm comfortable speaking English and Love Island South Africa is the first time for me hosting a TV show in English.
That's also why I'm so excited to do this because I've gotten so comfortable within the Afrikaans market and just being an Afrikaans TV presenter so this is a huge opportunity for me to just work on the experience of working in different markets.
With nature documentaries Sir David Attenborough always says the observer shouldn't get involved in things like trying to save the animals, or the psychologist shouldn't become a crutch for the patient.
Do you think you'll be able to keep your distance from the Islanders when you maybe start to get a favourite and you want them to succeed and not get dumped? How much emotion will you show and to what degree will you interact with the Islanders?
Leandie du Randt: So, as the Love Island SA host I don't live in the villa, so automatically I'm not going to be so involved.
I only come in once a week, so over the course of this first season of Love Island SA, viewers will see me a limited number of times. I've got nothing to do at all with how the various Islanders go about their daily lives and what they decide to do or not.
I only come in as a change agent for the Recouplings and to mix things up a little bit. So my work is not to become their friend, my work is not to judge them, my work is just to facilitate conversations and decisions amongst them when needed.
The nature of what is expected of me will really not allow me to get involved too much. As as I know this is a job, you prepare yourself not to get involved, so like the M-Net viewers I will stand as an outsider looking in at what they're doing, if that makes sense.
In the time until Love Island SA concludes in April, is there something that you're maybe looking forward to do, or experience?
Leandie du Randt: For one, definitely to experience the Love Island South Africa production first-hand.
I can't tell you how many months of planning goes into producing a show like this and seeing that Love Island SA will be running 24/7 and there will be a new episode every day.
We almost have 300 crew members working day and night shifts to ensure that M-Net viewers can get a very entertaining programme every night. Just to be a part of this hard-working team is amazing. I'm really looking forward to seeing how they do what they are going to do.
I'm also excited to see if people find real love on Love Island SA - I mean these days it's not bizarre really to discover that you meet the love of your life in a situation like this. You see that people meet online, they meet in pubs - you never know when real love in real-life can strike you, so I'm excited to see if there will come real love from this.
On Valentines Day this year I saw your hotel Instagram images that are beautiful. You have so succesfully leveraged your social media profile to build your brand and presenting TV shows on kykNET (DStv 144) and elsewhere and now also M-Net. You're also a role model for young people who see how you utilise social media in a beautiful way of being an influencer and partnerships with products. People see the surface but what advice do you have for especially young people?
Leandie du Randt: It takes time, these things.
They always say someone's an overnight success but becoming an overnight success takes 10 000 hours you know?
There a book, Outliers: The Story of Success by Malcolm Gladwell that is all about that. I've been in this industry for 12 years now, so it's something I've been building up a little bit by little bit.
I think with anything in life really, success has got everything to do with consistency and working hard consistently and making sure that the message you send out there is true and real and authentic. My number one advice will be if you want to do this, be consistent.
Secondly, create content that is authentic to who you are - never try and be something you're not. And never advertise or post brands or stuff that you don't want to be associated with and that's not you - you have a choice in this.
People are only going to know what you show them so you control the narrative. Therefore, make sure that it's a narrative that you like and that you feel is real and true.
Don't do it if you don't want to do it. It's easy to build and work on something and become successful at it and in it if you really like it and have a passion for it.
Then you're automatically going to work harder at it and also it's not going to feel like work. If you find that it's hard to get motivated or to do it, then you're not in the right space. Ask yourself: Am I doing what I'm supposed to do, or am I just doing this because it's a trend and everyone's doing it? Then you're not going to have longitudinal success with it.
And how difficult is it to structure it out or plan out what you're going to do on your social media beyond your other ...
Leandie du Randt: Ha ha, no I'm not like that at all! No! I can't live like that.
It's not my job you know. I do it because I like it. So if I was at a hotel that I like and I want to post it them I'm going to do it. If a brand reaches out to me and they want to do something, if I like the product and I want to do it, then I'll do it.
I'm not anal about "It's Monday and I have to post something inspirational, and on Tuesday I have to do this". I do something when it's real and when I feel I want to do it unless of course I get paid to do something really specific on a certain day and time.
Most of the time I don't plan anything out - I just post what I want to post and what's true and real for the day for me.
With the last of summer and autumn starting and with your main commitment to Love Island SA for the next two months and being in Cape Town and the Western Cape winelands, is there something else you maybe want to do if there's time?
Leandie du Randt: No, there's nothing else I'm allowed to do or will have time to do!
But in the days that I'm not working - like you've said my social media is a constant thing that I'm busy with - I'm busy reviewing the edited version of my book - my second book that will be published later in 2021.
Then an ongoing thing that I will always be busy with is my online shop,
To Be Gift Boxes that I do with my sister in law.
That is a full-time job of mine that I do every day. I'm creative director of that - I edit the photos, I run the social media, I upload all of the products on the website, I manage that and I make sure that everything looks and feels pretty.
With the entries for Love Island SA that remains open after the show launches on M-Net, what advice do you have for people who see it on TV and then decides to enter?
Leandie du Randt: That all depends on who's already in the villa and what personalities there are.
I can't say do this or be that - Love Island SA is a reality show and it's not scripted. The only thing you can take to a reality show is your work, yourself, your authenticity and your social intelligence.
Love Island South Africa starts on M-Net (DStv 101) on Sunday 28 February at 20:00 with new episodes Monday to Friday at 21:30.
