Cynthia Thanda
“Tsatsii, they say great things come in little packages, if dynamites were a person it would be you: Explosive and smart, always planning two steps ahead of the foes and just when the world thinks they have seen all you have to offer, there would always be more.”
Those were the last words spoken by Big Brother on the 2nd April 2023, a few minutes before Motsatsi Wendy Madiba emerged as the second runner-up of Big Brother Titans 2023, Season 1.
Tsatsii, short for Motsatsi, is no regular name, it represents light, connection as it is a hereditary name (from her grandmother) and it is close to the young lady’s heart who graced the screens for 78 days.
Her beautiful heart, brains, wittiness, good looks made her a fan favourite, and gained her a core fan base. The young lady exuded confidence as the Pan Afrikanist family discussed her journey to Big Brother’s reality show.
“I am somebody who would binge the show with my mom. Every time I would watch the show, I would be like I wish I could be a part of something like this.
“Little did I know, I would make it because it was actually my first time auditioning for the show and I made it which was quiet exciting, seeing it being my first-ever audition for the show. My mom is the one who showed me the audition posts and encouraged me to try it.”
When auditioning, Tsatsii didn’t have high expectations because she was aware that a lot of people were also grabbing the opportunity. She relied on prayer and her father who was a great supportive structure.
When she got her congratulatory letter, she found it had to believe and it was only when she saw herself on stage that it became real.
Significantly, Tsatsii was and still is a student. She was studying in two varsities, one for Electrical Engineering and the other for Biomedical Sciences in which she is majoring in Biotechnology.
“My family had been supporting me ever since my audition. It is the little things like prayer, mentally and psychologically checking up on me and after the congratulatory letter, I saw the financial support.
“It was a big opportunity and responsibility for me and everyone that I was representing, especially where I am coming from so my parents were amazing and helped in preparing for a lot of things.”
Before going into the house, Tsatsii had a lot of conversations with her parents and cared about how they would perceive her. Nonetheless, she knew it was a once in a lifetime opportunity and as much as she considered her family, she chose to do her own thing and not leave the house with regrets.
In the house, Tsatsii remained her nonchalant and authentic self. In terms of balancing her relationships in the house and the game, Tsatsii had a constant reminder that this was a game and never to take anything personally because she was aware that everyone in the house was there for the money and deserving of the opportunity. She stayed focused during her arena games as shown in the show.
Being in isolation with a group of people you don’t know especially two wonderful nations was a cultural shock and making sure that people have an understanding of who you are was one of the challenges Tsatsii experienced in the house.
Furthermore, remaining patient, keeping composure and learning that it is a game (not taking things to heart), despite having connections with people.
Tsatsii wasn’t just known for her competitive side and being Head of House three times, she was a great host of Friday parties. What inspired her to do the parties was her nurturing heart and she wanted people to be happy, creating a vibe and just enjoying the moment.
Her love for the kitchen was hard to miss with how she would cook for the house and cater during her parties. Her pool party, all-white party and pajama party were definite highlights of the show.
“I was very excited and emotional, since it was examination period. There was a time she was called for an interview when there was an ongoing Mathematics exam, I remember encouraging her that this is once in a lifetime opportunity and she should to advantage of it,” said Lesiba James Madiba, a remarkable father the viewers came to appreciate as Tsatsii continuously mentioned him with praise and love in the house.
Mr. Madiba mentioned how difficult it was to prepare his daughter for the house as well as making sure she stays in the house.
During voting time, he had to run three voting stations and campaigning for her. When his daughter made it to the final, he was happy because it was due to her hard work.
“When my daughter randomly mentioned me many times on the screen, I was not surprised because she is like a friend to me and her mother. I am happy that I raised a daughter who has respect and doesn’t hold grudges.
“She was real and I could see how she sometimes forgot she was on screen which is something I appreciated. I wanted her to be authentic and just be happy.”
Tsatsii’s popularity outside the house was built and maintained by a wonderful 20-year-old girl who stole the hearts of her fan base. Ayanda Ofentse Elsie is a force to be reckoned with when it comes to social media handling.
With no experience, the young lady stepped in and taught herself in the process, managing to pull 181k Instagram followers, 21.6k twitter followers, 6.6kFacebook followers (her other account was taken down which had 45k followers) and still counting.
“This is the weird, funny part, when Tsatsii was in the house, she thought her brother was the one handling all her social media accounts. Little did she know a stranger and her biggest fan had taken over. She never knew me, never met me until the end. Her reaction was speechless!” Ayanda said with a warm smile.
“People didn’t know I had no experience in social media handling, the dms and comments were so numerous, people asking you to do this and that, it wasn’t easy but with all their guidance and points, I learnt. If I wasn’t sure about something, I would ask for clarification.”
She went on to mention that in as much as other fan bases have toxic fans who can get to you, she chose to ignore and embrace Tsatsii by promoting, hyping her and getting her fans to also ensure they all spread nothing but love.
In all this wonderful experience, Ayanda enjoyed interacting and engaging with fans through socials. She learnt different cultures and languages which she found refreshing.
Even though it was not easy, Ayanda is considering being a social media handler and she is willing to learn further within that industry and see where it will take her.
The Pan Afrikanist talked to a few of Tsatsii’s fans whose name is ‘Sun-risers’, a name created using her name: Tsatsii meaning Sun and Risers from how the fans will rise despite the obstacles and challenges they face.
Crystal, one of the core sun-risers from Uganda, East Africa spoke about how she instantly liked Tsatsii due to her kind and pure heart. Tsatsii inspired her to be a go-getter: always pushing herself to become a better person.
Although, the de-campaigning from other fan-bases got to her and she had to leave social media for a while, she still stood firm in her support.
She voted massively for Tsatsi, sent contributions of the little money she had and hyped her online by trending hashtags and vows to continue to support her.
Crsytal’s message to Tsatsii: “My baby Tsatsii, I love you very much. You are special to me, a very soft spot in my heart is there for you. I am praying and rooting for you always. Don’t ever dim your shine, always ignore those faceless trolls. You are going to achieve every single thing you set your mind on and more.”
Brenda, a Ugandan Sun-riser Admin’s love could be felt as she spoke highly of Tsatsii and how she liked her from the first day because she was such a jolly and happy person.
Balancing her personal life and being a Sun-riser Admin was a challenge, but Brenda remained unstoppable in mobilising sun-risers on social media, creating a country group, soliciting and contributing funds to vote and coming up with a voting centre in the country as well as maintaining peace and harmony among Ugandan sun-risers.
Brenda’s message to Tsatsii: “Tsatsii, you are smart, intelligent, beautiful and a star. You deserve all the good things coming your way. May God bless you always.”
Onome, a Nigerian Sun-riser Admin expressed that Tsatsi captured her heart from day one because she was a great conversationalist and a very funny girl.
It was amazing to watch her to which she explained as a breath of fresh air. As a fan and Admin, Onome maintained the fan-base easily as the fans loved Tsatsii as much as she did and would literally do anything for her.
Onome’s message to Tsatsii: “Tsatsii, you are loved so just do and be the best you can be while you continue to make money and stuff like that.”
Monica Khutsafalo, a Botswana Sun-riser Admin’s eyes shone with warmth as she explained liking Tsatsii when she walked on stage. As an academic, Monica was immediately hooked when Tsatsii mentioned her studies and she could just relate to her.
“First of all, when I love, I love hard so most of the time I couldn’t stop talking about her on twitter and the love just grew into something bigger. I was one of the few people to join the main group and then as the group got bigger, we decided to break down into countries.
“As a result, I was able to find people who love Tsatsii and what made it interesting was we loved her and interacted in our language. I feel like as a group in Botswana we all contributed towards her having a core fan-base.”
Monica’s message to Tsatsii: “Motsatsii Wendy Madiba, you are more than enough. Your growth in the Big Brother house was so good to witness. From here you go big.”
Now that she is out of the house, Tsatsii looks forward to growing herself as a brand and tapping into modeling and acting as well as creating a bikini line.
What she took from the show is to never doubt yourself and stay true to who you are. Whatever personality that you give to the world there is always going to be people who will resonate and receive it.
Follow Tsatsii:
Instagram: officialtsatsii_
Twitter: @tsatsii5 (Tsatsii Wendy Madiba #BBTitans)
Facebook:Tsatsii Madiba
Bookings: Wendymadiba05@gmail.com
Fanpage: @sunriershq
