Controversial TV personality Dineo Ranaka, of Dineo's Diary fame,
believes she has ditched her "bad girl" tag, concentrating instead on
motherhood and her new career as a producer.
Speaking on a wide range of issues about her life, Ranaka, known for
not mincing her words, said she was "on an alcohol and intercourse fast"
when asked about the man in her life, "I don't go around looking
for men. I'm a mom, for crying out loud, I have to be exemplary to my
kids. If a man wants me, he has to find me,"Dineo has done a 180
degrees of a personal transformation, see, I'm not even wearing make-up
because I don't see myself as a celeb." Ranaka (32) has previously
been in a relationship with rap star BlackLez and has been romantically
linked to sushi king Kenny Kunene.
She has two children: a six-year-old son and a three-year-old daughter, "I'm
more centred. I'm a career woman. I own a production house and I'm
presently putting together a concept for a new lifestyle TV show, "I'm
focussing more on the positive attributes of my life, like going back
to the values, I'm proud of growing up, learning, building a family
because there is no substitute for wisdom, you need it to succeed. I'm a
lot more mature after entering my 30s."
Ranaka said after all the drama she has been through in her life, she has stayed strong because of prayer, "I'm
a God-fearing woman. I pray. I still have both my parents who have
helped me raise my kids. They made me a better parent. I don't see
myself as a single parent. I have my flaws. I'm imperfect but I was born
to be excellent in all that I do," she said.
Researching trends
Talking
about her reality TV show Dineo's Diary, which is aired on Vuzu Amp,
she said when she first created the show she did not anticipate its
success, "It has actually surprised me how it has been
well-received. I researched reality show trends in the US and saw a
market. There was interest and demand for reality shows locally because
of the popularity of the overseas versions.
"I tested the waters
and I tested myself and pitched the idea. They told me to 'be careful of
what you ask for' as the show would reveal the real Dineo because I'm
often misunderstood, "Granted, where there's smoke, there's fire
but sometimes the magnitude of the fire is exaggerated, especially
because I'm always on TV or radio." About leaving the e.tv Friday night music show Club 808, she said the parting was amicable.
"I
cannot force myself to stay in a space that I've outgrown. I move to
other platforms. When it comes to Mzansi Magic's All Access, the
contract was not renewed as the new producers had their own ideas about
what they wanted the show to look like, it was not about Proverb or
Nandi (Mngoma), "It's a natural progression. I can't commit to
radio forever. I have an independent entrepreneurial spirit. I can't do
everything at the same time.", Ranaka said the new lifestyle show
she was producing would be about a variety of issues including
"relationships, how to be yourself, parenting, romance and personal
finance".
