The Almost Perfect Podcast

Khensani Mohlatlole is a fashion writer and youtuber, and sewist. Khensani is incredibly passionate and knowledgeable about fashion, with particular interests in sustainability and fashion history. In the episode, we get into some of the difficulties of covering fashion history in South Africa and why she chooses to document local fashion the way she does. We also chat about the politics of what w...

Cayleigh Bright is a writer, editor, and co-founder of the writing agency Letterhead. Hear how a youth as a library monitor and drama kid lead to a fruitful career slinging words for the likes of Mail & Guardian, GQ, Glamour, and a number of high-profile glossy and online magazines, as well as being the person responsible for all those damn Superbalist newsletters. We learn about the origins o...

Tibs Dumi is a comedian, actor, writer, and director. After a youth spent people pleasing, Tibs has finally learned to just do things for himself. It's lead to him having a fantastic year on stage and having the confidence to pursue his own creative projects. We get into the lasting impact of private school education, the limitations of the Durban comedy scene, and, uh, sharing with friends. ...

Neil Green is a comedian. Durbanites will fondly remember him from his time on East Coast Radio and comedy stages across the city, but Neil is a long way from Durban. Dublin, Ireland is where he lays his head now. Naturally, things are very different. We get into what inspired the move and just how hard it was to give up a flourishing career in South Africa to start from the bottom of the comedy l...

Yola Plaatjie is a actor and radio presenter who recently tried her hand at directing for the first time for the 48 Hour Film Festival. A film which Bob wrote and they both starred in called 'The Sound of Murder'. We get into the dynamics of working under pressure with people for the first time and how having your partner on set can be really helpful for keeping tensions down. We hear about Yola's...

Dillan Oliphant is a comedian and probably South Africa's most well-known Man Utd fan. While Dillan has been one of SA's most popular comedians for a while now, he feels like he's finally reached the skill level to make jokes about the things he really wants to talk about. His latest show, "Chooses Violence", digs into why South Africa is such a violent country and explores the effects it's had on...

It's the first ever live episode of The Almost Perfect Podcast and what a great episode it is. Hands down the funniest episode of the podcast to date. Content creating comedian Waylene Beukes and seasoned radio DJ Rob Forbes provided many laughs trying to tell me their life stories whilst nursing hang overs. Being the only person not on the jol the night before, Mojak Lehoko helped get the ball ro...

Takunda Bimha is the festival director of the Johannesburg International Comedy Festival and the founder of Podium, a comedy agency that helped boost the careers of some of South Africa's best comedians. We hear how Kagiso Lediga took a chance on him as a producer on the Pure Monate Show and how that opened his eyes to the potential of South African comedy. He saw the role he could play behind the...

Haji Mohamed Dawjee is an author, editor, and columnist. You've probably read her weekly column on EWN or know her from her work with Mail & Guardian. Perhaps, you've even seen her tweeting passionately about tennis, but this podcast is mostly about her latest book, "Here's The Thing". We learn how the book shifted and evolved from what Haji originally set out to write and how long COVID affec...

King Shaft is a director, producer, and writer. He co-directed "1960" which opened this year's Durban International Film Festival and won the award for Best South African Feature Film at the fest. We chatted the morning after the opening where the elated director shared his joy over the achievement, especially since project faced a number of issues and was mostly fuelled over the finish line by pa...

Bonie Sithebe is a director, producer, and co-founder of Durban Motion Pictures. We met up to discuss her feature film "Valley of a Thousand Hills" which is part of this year's Durban International Film Festival. It's a film she's incredibly proud of as it's taken nearly 20 years in the industry to get here. Bonie shares how her early experiences in the film industry lead to her losing her car and...

Jet Wentworth is a rapper and graphic designer. While Jet's rap career started by getting booed off stage at a talent show in high school, perseverance and guidance from the OGs like T.R.O. and Illuminating Shadows lead to him joining Big Idea and eventually going solo when the band broke up. Jet reflects honestly on a rollercoaster of a career, both the highs and the lows. Jet also shares some of...

Ali Heath is a bassist and a film lecturer. You might know him from City Bowl Mizers, HOURS, or Hated Related, or maybe you've sat in his class as he explained the genius of David Lynch, but I'll always remember him as the guy who spoke to me about music on The Winston couches 19 years ago. Ali and I have been friends for over half our lives and have many great memories together, although, looking...

The South African music scene has lost a beautiful soul. Jaedon Daniel has passed on. It's a heartbreaking shock to everyone who knew him. Jaedon was one of the most talented and prolific musicians to come out of Durban in recent history. His impact will be felt for years to come.  Jaedon was one of the earliest guests on the podcast so I'm reposting it with an updated intro for those of you...

Nondu Lehutso is a podcaster and journalist. The host of The NDL Show has had a lifelong love of broadcast journalism that she traces back to watching 3 Talk With Noeleen with her mom. Since then, she's been on a steadfast path that has lead to her working in finance journalism when she's not podcasting. Whilst doing her Honours last year, Nondu was shot by police during a student protest. She sha...

MX is a rapper who streams freestyle sessions on Twitch. MX has been a part of the Durban rap scene since he was a teen, but recently he's found himself part of an international community of likeminded people thanks to streaming. As an introverted artist, MX has found freedom through the internet. We get into the importance of living with purpose and learning to define success for yourself instead...

Whan Zulu is a film producer, entrepreneur, and the first Black South African to have a pro model skateboard. In 2002, at the age of 18, Whan became a pro skater. At 38, he runs a production company called Pitch Black Post. We reminisce over youths spent on boards and discuss how the skate scene has evolved for the better over the years. Whan shares how his skating career fortuitously lead him to...

Nina Erasmus is a dancer, actor, and visual artist. Multifaceted to say the least, creativity is the driving force behind Nina's life. Nina's lifelong passion for dance saw her studying dance and drama at CODA, which opened up the world of acting to her. We get into how she balances her various artistic endeavours with making a living. Nina shares how she found her passion for teaching through Pil...

Desire Marea is someone who I consider to be a once-in-a-generation artist. While he's probably best known as a musician, Desire's creativity knows no bounds. That being said, while Desire oozes a calm confidence, they open up about struggling with imposter syndrome. We hear how a friendship with Fela Gucci, formed out of a love of fashion and music, led to FAKA, a musical project that had an impa...

Shanray van Wyk is a comedian, actor, and writer. While he says he's lazy, his output says otherwise. We hear what it was like to manage the Melville Comedy Club, how lockdown brought everything to a halt, and what the journey of getting back on stage has been like for him. Shanray kept busy during lockdown, and thanks to his nightly Instagram Live shows, he is currently the face of Outsurance. Ru...

Khanya Mtshali is a writer and a critic. Khanya has bylines in pretty much every noteworthy publication in South Africa, and quite a few overseas too. Not only that, she's now a published author as she spent her time in lockdown writing a book on South African advertising called "It's Not Inside, It's On Top". The book takes a critical look at how advertising has been shaped by the politics of the...

Olivia Mortimer is a photographer and filmmaker. Her work has been featured in Times Square and magazines around the world although, surprisingly, she failed photography in varsity. Olivia's faced a number of hurdles trying to enter into the film and photography industries but, through letting go, life-changing opportunities serendipitously found her. We get into mindfulness, therapy, and com...

Richard Rumney is a producer, DJ, and cultural curator. You might know him as Maramza or Richard The Third, although he was probably most influential with his work for Red Bull Music SA. Richard has been involved in various aspects of the underground SA music scene since the 90's so this episode is a great history lesson the early days of hip-hop and kwaito. We also chat about how distribution has...

Aluta Null is a digital artist and game designer. She works in a variety of mediums including AR and VR and her work is both personal and political. She tackles issues surrounding mental health and black womanhood through a glitchy lens, and aims to use technology to create more accessible experiences of her artistic visions. She's someone who is always thinking, always imagining, and always creat...

Mitch Harper is a freelance curator, cultural programmer, and film producer. Mitch returns to the podcast to fill us in on what he's been up to over the last three years. We hear about the challenges of taking the Durban Film Mart online due to the pandemic, how Mitch got into producing, and what he learned from working in a tattoo shop. Enjoy.  Watch the trailer for 'Deliver Me': https://vim...