BEST known as feisty and manipulative Dintle on e.tv’s Scandal!, Mapaseka Koetle-Nyokong is not only an actor, but she is also an entrepreneur and runs an advice column on Instagram, titled ‘Moqoqo Friday’, where she gives real-life advice with a touch of humour. Born and bred in Bloemfontein, Free State, Mapaseka and her sister Rakgadi Koetle are besties.
FIVE YEARS AND COUNTING ON SCANDAL!
When Scandal! introduced the character of Dintle, South Africa got to meet Mapaseka Koetle. Little did we know we would fall in love with this forward and trouble-making character. The award-winning actress has been with the soapie ever since. She shares the reason she has not hopped around different soapies like most actors do. “I am having so much fun at Scandal! The writing team is always creating good stories for my character.
I am drawn to the Soapie simply because of how amazing the cast is and how the writers put pen to paper for each character. Dintle is manipulative, loves money and is a fighter. She’s also a good mom and I find her hilarious too,” says the mother of one. Mapaseka’s younger sister, Rakgadi Koetle, says she and her sister have shared a lot of good memories and one of them was when she got the role on Scandal!. “She called me screaming and crying. I also cried because I was happy and proud of her.”
GETTING TO KNOW MAPASEKA
Rakgadi who refers to her sister as ‘Pasi’ says she and Mapaseka are best friends. “We share everything and we know everything about each other. Pasi is forever laughing and tends to laugh in serious situations too. Wherever she is, there’s good energy. Mapaseka is also a neat freak. She is forever tidying up her house,” she laughs. “She is also a prayer warrior, and it is one of her biggest strengths, amongst many. To grow spiritually, she enjoys reading spiritual books.
I would say her weakness is that when she loves, she loves way too much, she gives love to undeserving people,” says Rakgadi. Growing up, Rakgadi says she has always looked up to Mapaseka throughout her life. She adds that her big sister has always motivated her to get out of her comfort zone and follow her dreams. “She always tells me to work hard and not undermine my capabilities and intelligence. As she always says to everyone, she says it to me too - what you want, wants you too,” says Rakgadi.
THE YEAR AHEAD
After having a great 2018, Mapaseka is looking forward to the year ahead in which she is expecting to see a lot of growth and opportunities for herself. “In the new year, I feel I need to push to get myself in a feature film, I will continue to work hard, smart and enjoy life. I have a feeling that it’s going to be a good year and to add, I’m turning 30,” she exclaims. Rakgadi says she wishes her sister all the best in the year to come. “I wish her more success, and prosperity. I wish and pray she remains humble too.”
FAMILY FOCUSED
Family is high up on Mapaseka’s list of priorities. The married mother spends a lot of her time with her small family. “I think I am a fun wife,” she smiles. “My husband is always laughing when we are together. He allows me to be myself which makes it so easy to be the best version of myself and love him even more. Regardless of how busy Mapaseka gets, the actress always does her best to find time to relax and be with her family. At my house, dinner time is very important as it serves as bonding time. My daughter is only two, but she knows how important dinner time is. We all sit around the table, eat and catch up on the day that was.”
After starting her own business, the actress expresses that it has been particularly hard to find time to bond with her hubby. “2018 was crazy, and it was hard to find ‘us time,’ especially after we opened our coffee shop. As a way of unwinding, my husband likes us to visit resorts for a few days,” she says. Mapaseka’s mom still stays in Bloemfontein and frequently makes a trip down to Joburg to visit her daughters. “I always make time to go home and spend time with my mom.
Even in my marriage, no matter how busy we are, we have to make time to visit my mom and make sure she is okay.” On motherhood, the entrepreneur says she is a good mom. “Before I had a child, I always thought I was going to be a strict mom like my mom was, but it seems I am a softie. My daughter is still small though, so time will tell. Like most moms, I am the type of mother who would do anything for her child.”
HER OWN BOSS
Both the Koetle sisters are into business. Rakgadi runs a hair and wig distribution business from the comfort of her home, while Mapaseka owns a coffee shop, Gorge, with her husband in Sandton. “I have always wanted to own a business; I just did not know what kind of business. We bought a franchise called Gorge, a coffee shop which we fell in love with. My husband has always wanted to have a restaurant and we thought this was an opportunity for us to finally get into business, and we went for it. We opened our doors in January last year and so far so good. We might owe some of our success to the fact that the shop is close to the Sandton Gautrain station,” she says.
The actress also admits that business is no walk in the park. She says the food business demands someone who is there all the time, something she can’t do because she has to be on set. “Fortunately, my husband can work from anywhere and can be at the restaurant to manage things,” she says. Outside of work and business, the actress has a funny yet motivational column where she posts videos on her Instagram page on Friday’s, with her friend Tsakani Mdluli, called Mqoqo (chat) Fridays.
“My friend and I just have conversations about life but I started recording and sharing the conversations, which got a lot of traction, causing my followers to want more,” she laughs. The videos are about life’s experiences splashed with a lot of humour. “There’s no pressure on my side because I enjoy putting the video’s together. Sometimes, I include my cast members in the videos too,” she says.
