31 Facts About Basetsana Kumalo

Basetsana Julia "Bassie" Kumalo is a South African television personality, beauty pageant titleholder, businesswoman, and philanthropist.

Basetsana Kumalo's career began in 1990 when she was crowned Miss Soweto and Miss Black South Africa at the age of 16.

Basetsana Kumalo was crowned Miss South Africa in 1994 and in the same year became the first runner-up in Miss World.

Basetsana Kumalo was then enrolled for tertiary education at the University of Venda, and majored in an Education.

Basetsana Kumalo met her husband Romeo Kumalo, a Vodacom executive and former broadcaster, when she was crowned Miss Soweto.

In 2005 Basetsana Kumalo gave birth to their first child, a boy named Nkosinathi Gabriel.

Basetsana Kumalo joined actress Salma Hayek in the bid to eradicate neonatal and maternal tetanus in the world, as spokesman for the United Nations Children's Fund and nappy brand Pamper's campaign to save more than 250 million infants by 2012.

Basetsana Kumalo left school planning to follow in her mother's footsteps as a teacher, but it was while before she was enrolled at the University of Venda to study education.

Basetsana Kumalo's mother entered her into Miss South Africa pageant that Kumalo went on to win.

Basetsana Kumalo formed a partnership with the show's producer, Patience Stevens.

Tswelopele Productions was born with Basetsana Kumalo owning a fifty-percent stake.

Basetsana Kumalo is accredited by Impumelelo as one of South Africa's top 300 empowerment companies.

Basetsana Kumalo is the Executive Chairperson of Tswelopele Productions and has produced through Connect TV and Tswelopele Productions various Television shows such as Top Billing, Pasella, Date My Family, Our Perfect Wedding, Diski Divas, Becoming, Pastor wants a wife, Expresso, Afternoon Express, Saving our Marriage, Please Step In and Utatakho.

Basetsana Kumalo is the former President of the Business Women's Association of South Africa.

In 2008, Basetsana Kumalo became a new Tawana shareholder through a transaction with her investment company Pro Direct 189.

Basetsana Kumalo sits on the boards of Unipalm Investment Holdings Vhangana Energy Resources, Tactic Group Limited, SME Financial Holdings Limited, Morongwa Investment Holdings, Seven Falls, Q2 Petroleum and PHAB Holdings.

Basetsana Kumalo is the Spokesperson for Pampers UNICEF Tetanus campaign and part of the UNICEF Influential Women Circle, which consists of a group of some of the country's most influential businesswomen, joined together to raise money to help protect the lives of the country's most vulnerable children.

Basetsana Kumalo is the Chairman of the Businesswomen's Association of South Africa, Chairman of the Kuhluka Movement and Co-chair of the Council of Social Justice Champions.

In 2007, former first lady Graca Machel, a champion of the Each One Reach Five campaign, nominated Basetsana Kumalo to be one of her five volunteers to take a public HIV test.

Basetsana Kumalo has raised money for Baragwanath Children's Hospital with Dr Precious Moloi-Motsepe.

Basetsana Kumalo volunteered with Agang Sechaba, a project that was started in 2007 by Nomsa Ntshingila, directed at giving back to the townships in which they were born.

In 2000, Basetsana Kumalo launched her own clothing range under the label Stature Ladies wear by Bassie, distributed by Ackerman's department stores across 240 outlets throughout Sub-Saharan Africa.

In 2002, under the Bassie brand, Basetsana Kumalo launched an eyewear range, distributed through Torga Optical.

Basetsana Kumalo followed this by launching the Bassie Red cosmetics textrange into 100 Foschini stores nationwide, followed with the Bassie Gold range in 2006.

In 2004, Basetsana Kumalo contributed to the book Inspirational Women at Work, which focuses on the new face of leadership in the country.

Basetsana Kumalo is the editor-at-large of the Top Billing magazine.

Basetsana Kumalo had a stint on Metro FM, when she hosted the Breakfast show on 10 August 2006.

Basetsana Kumalo's exposure was further enhanced when she was chosen to be the face of Revlon Realistic Hair Care range for both Sub-Saharan Africa and the international market.

Basetsana Kumalo was a Revlon spokesperson for over five years.

Basetsana Kumalo briefly endorsed the BriteSmile procedure by appearing on their website.

In 2004, Basetsana Kumalo was voted 74th on the list of 100 Greatest South Africans in 2004, the only Miss South Africa in the list.