Image: Mzantsi Magic
It’s been a life-changing adventure for Komani-born Innocentia Taliwe, who is among eight contestants on a reality TV show battling it out for a R250,000 prize while tackling extreme obstacles in a 4x4.
Spirit of Mzansi is hosted by comedian Mpho “Popps” Modikoane, and premiered on Mzantsi Magic last month.
Taliwe, 28, a market development executive in Johannesburg, said the show helped her get out of her comfort zone.
“I was so shocked when I got a callback, but I was excited because I had never been involved in something like [this]. The show is a bit like Amazing Race and Survivor and truly was the survival of the fittest. It has helped me [come] out of my shell, and experience things I wouldn’t normally do.
“I don’t have an overbearing personality, but with the show I found I had to adjust myself and get out of my comfort zone to engage with the other personalities. The show has tested my thinking and I had to overcome my fears and weaknesses, especially driving the 3.0 V6 Amarok,” she said.
The contestants go through timed races that test their driving and endurance skills as they explore different terrain in various parts of SA.
Taliwe said being a Hyundai i20 manual driver, she was intimidated at the thought of driving the powerful bakkie.
“It was so scary, so powerful and overwhelming at first, but it was also inspiring in that I never thought I could drive such a big car with all that power and go through the trails I went through. The show has made me a better person.”
Head of VW Commercial Vehicles Mark Handley said the German car manufacturing company partnered with the show because their bakkie was ideal for the programme.
M-Net’s director of local entertainment channels, Reneilwe Sema, added: “SA is blessed with some of the most striking routes in Africa, and what better way to showcase our beautiful country and its unique people than in the comfort of the Amarok Extreme?”
The show airs on Wednesdays at 9.30pm.