Kay Sibiya has fast-become one of the freshest faces in television today. He first gained prominence on the SABC 1 magazine show ‘Sunday Chillaz’ and shot to fame as he portrayed Ayanda Mdletshe on SABC 1’s telenovela ‘Uzalo’. Kay has since become an icon in the local entertainment space and has built up a loyal audience who have been incredibly supportive of his journey so far. Now, Kay opens up on his involvement on this season of Tropika Island of Treasure and his career so far.
What attracted you to sign onto a show like Tropika Island of Treasure?
The biggest reason I signed on to being a part of this new season of Tropika Island of Treasure was for the nostalgia. Tropika, for me, brings a beautiful sense of nostalgia. If you were travelling in KZN, whether you were using public transport for school or taking a bus for longer distances, there were always ladies with buckets of ice filled with Tropika being sold on the route. Tropika is an amazing brand so every time I did have one, it felt like a special occasion. I was once that kid who used to buy Tropika and I love the brand so it’s crazy to finally see my face on the bottles.
How do you plan on out smooothing your competitor throughout the season and get your hands on the shared R1 million grand prize?
I plan on bringing out my sense of humour so that no one will see my competitive side coming. I am going to take everything lightly but trust me when I say I have a strategy. I am always looking out for people’s weaknesses and strengths and how to destabilise them because this is very much a mental game as it is a physical game. But, my façade will be my humour – they won’t see me coming.
What do you think makes a great team mate?
A good team mate needs to be a good listener. We always speak about how important communication is but in order to communicate efficiently, you need to listen very well. It’s also important to think ahead. Watching past seasons I noticed that while a lot is riding on physicality, a lot of it is planning and strategising. It’s important to understand how we are going to tackle the challenge and not just jump in. A great sense of humour is also great because if I don’t win that money, I want the memories to be great.
What do you plan on doing with the shared R1 million should you win this season of Tropika Island of Treasure?
I was thinking of a whole lot of ways I could spend that money but it’s important to be responsible so I think that R500 000 would be a great down payment on a house.
What has been the biggest challenge throughout your career and how have you overcome it?
The biggest challenge I have faced throughout my career is people not believing in me. I was never a model but somehow, I got a lot of modelling gigs. It was then that I got into presenting and then into acting. I feel like people initially thought I was just a pretty face or that I got the gig because of my modelling career rather than my talent. Proving people wrong over the years and being consistent and improving in my craft is how I overcame it. It’s been a challenge and a joy.
What five items would you pack for a day at the beach?
A young DCT, a speaker, lots of food, cocktails and a towel.
What’s been your most embarrassing moment so far?
I had short hair while I was in high school. There was a wave trend going around at the time. Generally, I have got nice hair but this one guy convinced me that it would be a good idea to jump onto the trend and told me that all I needed to do was add egg yolk to my hair. I went to school with egg yolk on my head the next day and it looked so disgusting. It smelled and I was so embarrassed.
Why do you think so many people around the country identify with you and your work?
I think it’s because I am honest. I think people get a sense of vulnerability and honesty whenever they come into contact with me and my work. I don’t identify as a celebrity or as a presenter, I don’t have celebrity friends. I guess my people have been my people since childhood and I think that honesty sets off a different vibe in how you present yourself.
What’s your ultimate travel destination?
It would be Israel because when you grow up in a Christian home, you are exposed to all the stories in the bibleand it would be beautiful to experience and be in the place where so many historical biblical moments took place. When the bible says Moses went to the top of the mountain, I want to see for myself what Mount Sinai looks like and where his journey through the desert started. I would love to visit Jerusalem and experience the energy there and feel the moments that happened there. I think that does something to your faith – it shifts it to a different dimension. I would like to walk where my patriarchs walked.
What does the rest of 2020 have in store for you?
A lot of new projects and characters I am really excited about. I am also excited about owning things. I want to own properties, IPs in the sense of actors owning their own work and actors becoming producers, actors owning content and finally, I want to venture out more into business -so I am working hard on that.
Catch Kay and his #TeamPeach team mate, Caldine Wyngaard, on Tropika Island of Treasure Curaçao on SABC3 every Tuesday at 19h30 with the repeat every Saturday at 20h00.
