Basetsana Mogale is a 24 year old Sangoma born and raised in Soshanguve, Pretoria. She talks to us at Idlozi Magazine about her upbringing, her ambitions, career and getting her first acting job on one of South Africa’s leading TV series, The River. Our editor, Gugulethu Mhlongo, had the honour of chatting with ‘ Modern Khehla’ in a one-on-one interview.
Q: Khehla, please tell us more about yourself, your upbringing leading up to today?
A: I was born in Pretoria, I was raised by a single-mother and I had a fulfilling youth.
Q: How did you get into modeling?
A: Growing up I had a very petit body, people around me would compliment my slim physique and advise me to take up modelling. I would enter beauty pageants at school and at church and I would win. This grew my confidenced and feuled my passion for modelling. I was also very photogenic, so I decided to enroll with a modeling agency. Later on I enrolled with Foxter Modeling Agency, they put me in TV commercials and I started loving the idea of being on TV.
Q: Tell us more about your Spiritual gift, when and where you initiated and how long you have been practicing for?
A: I grew up from a young age knowing | had a spiritual gift I always thought that once I grow up this ‘thing’ would just leave me alone. Fast forward to when I was in matric, I did well in school and then registered for a Public Relations Diploma
Everything was going well and I was looking forward to a blooming career.
Around Covid-19, times It was in my third year where I started getting sick frequently. I would also lose very valuable possessions like my laptop take a gap year to go and initiate to become a Sangoma. I went to Venda in the Limpopo province.
Unfortunately things didn’t go as I expected, I moved to initiate in Springs, Johannesburg. I found out l didn’t only have a Sangoma gift but
Prophetic (Isithunywa) gift as well
After I completed my initiation, my plan was to go back to further my Public relations studies, only to tind that my Ancestors had other plans. I would get a flock of clients coming in to get help.
Later on I produced uMavula Oil With my mother also being a Traditional Healer. Whenever I get messages to create herbs l ask my mother for assistance as she has been practicing for the past twenty years.
Q: How did you get onto TV and what are your plans going forward?
A: Shortly after settling and finding my feet with the assistance of my mother and opening a herbal store. landed an acting ‘gig’ on the TV Series, The River. My agent had alerted me about a new role that had opened up on the series. They gave me the script and I connected with the, ‘Mandy character. So much so that | was confident during the casting and I was very confident that I had landed the role. Though it was a short role, I enjoyed playing Mandy and lam hoping for more TV roles.