Entertainment / TV Guide
'I am from Zimbabwe and that is threat enough' - who is Hakeem?
01 Jun 2013 at 07:03hrs | Views
ZIMBABWE'S hottie in the Big Brother house Munyaradzi Hakeem Mandaza continues to steal hearts in the house and his performance is impressive.
In his opening remarks, the first day in Big Brother he declared: "I am from Zimbabwe and that is threat enough." He might have struck some as cocky, but it was evident
he is one confident guy. A bit naughty too, but we all love him either way!
The question that has people talking back home is who is Hakeem and what is he all about? As much as that is supposed to easy to answer, considering that he is supposed to be a renowned model, it is proving to be a mammoth task.
It turns out, the 22-year-old is little known out of the house. Besides the basic details that he hails from Chitungwiza, efforts to locate his family continue to bump into a brick walls.
Saturday Lifestyle attempted to track down his details from officials at the MultiChoice Zimbabwe offices but according to the head of public relations, they have no clue where he is from. It remains unclear how they could not have his details considering that they are the ones who make the call out for Big Brother contestants on behalf of DStv's Africa Magic.
Would-be contestants obviously submit CVs containing their details before being short- listed for the show, but alas! In what ended up being a cat and mouse chase between the Press and MultiChoice Zimbabwe a strange twist of events.
The next best lead after MultiChoice Zimbabwe had to be the social media and as much as Hakeem is said to be model, not many agencies know him. The only known vent he took part in was last year's Zimbabwe Fashion Week but again the head of public relations did not have his details.
After almost hanging the boots an unlikely source in the form of DJ Staera, who is Lady Squanda's husband, turned out to know something but in jaw-dropping revelation, the Chitungwiza-based DJ claimed the "truancy" is a strategy after all.
But a strategy against who one may ask? After all, Big Brother is a popularity based game and people outside the house are supposed to vote for him. They vote for him if they know enough and if the people involved decide to play hide and seek, it is obviously an ill-informed strategy.
"Staera", who claims to be running the "Vote for Hakeem" fan page on Facebook, that had 189 fans before going to print was even more hot headed, declaring: "You can't force me to say what I do not want to reveal!"
Could it be that "they" are making the point that his family and background should remain secret because it is "private"? Why then would he join the Big Brother game where he is putting his life out there for the world to inspect?
Hakeem is undoubtedly one of the most popular housemates in Big Brother and his background shall be "smoked out" eventually.
Meanwhile, the Pokello Nare camp is hands on in campaigning for the socialite to win over the hearts of people. At the end of the day, it is up to the people to decide who they want to vote for but just making his presence known goes a long way by his people.
According to his profile, Hakeem is a father of one and aspires to be an actor.
"I like the idea of taking simple and exceptionally talented people like me and thrusting them into stardom," he says. "Also, I'm a model and aspiring actor seeking bigger opportunities".
Hakeem lists his favourite foods as crispy rosemary chicken with fries and macaroni with cheese. His favourite books include "The Art of War", "It's Time to Unleash Your Greatness" and "50 Shades of Grey" and he enjoys watching "X-Factor", "Two and a Half Men" and "Chris Angel: Mind Freak". His favourite musicians are, The Game, Drake, Chris Brown and Jay-Z and his favourite actors include Dwayne Johnson, Johnny Depp and Denzel Washington.
He says the best thing about Africa is the people, the culture, resources and history, which is "so rich, authentic and intriguing". His favourite place in the world outside of his home country is Jamaica, because of the food, drink and climate - "and the parties are out of this world".
Hakeem's role model is Tyson Beckford because he was the first black male model to become a supermodel. "He was picked from the streets, yet so humble, ambitious and composed," says Hakeem.
Tyrese has also played a major role in his life because "he has been it all - actor,singer, performer, writer, millionaire and motivational speaker who started from nothing".
If Hakeem wins Big Brother, he'll invest in property, pay tithes, go to college, take care of his son and own the biggest model agency in Africa to help open doors for others.
Rumours have also surfaced and they suggest that Hakeem is based in Sunningdale where he lives with his mother. He fathered a baby boy with his current girlfriend.
He is a former Arts student at Light House College in Manyame, Chitungwiza. He is known to be a loner who kept to himself throughout his days at the college in 2010.
He earned himself the nickname "Mr Light House" because he was big buff and older than most of the students.
In his opening remarks, the first day in Big Brother he declared: "I am from Zimbabwe and that is threat enough." He might have struck some as cocky, but it was evident
he is one confident guy. A bit naughty too, but we all love him either way!
The question that has people talking back home is who is Hakeem and what is he all about? As much as that is supposed to easy to answer, considering that he is supposed to be a renowned model, it is proving to be a mammoth task.
It turns out, the 22-year-old is little known out of the house. Besides the basic details that he hails from Chitungwiza, efforts to locate his family continue to bump into a brick walls.
Saturday Lifestyle attempted to track down his details from officials at the MultiChoice Zimbabwe offices but according to the head of public relations, they have no clue where he is from. It remains unclear how they could not have his details considering that they are the ones who make the call out for Big Brother contestants on behalf of DStv's Africa Magic.
Would-be contestants obviously submit CVs containing their details before being short- listed for the show, but alas! In what ended up being a cat and mouse chase between the Press and MultiChoice Zimbabwe a strange twist of events.
The next best lead after MultiChoice Zimbabwe had to be the social media and as much as Hakeem is said to be model, not many agencies know him. The only known vent he took part in was last year's Zimbabwe Fashion Week but again the head of public relations did not have his details.
After almost hanging the boots an unlikely source in the form of DJ Staera, who is Lady Squanda's husband, turned out to know something but in jaw-dropping revelation, the Chitungwiza-based DJ claimed the "truancy" is a strategy after all.
But a strategy against who one may ask? After all, Big Brother is a popularity based game and people outside the house are supposed to vote for him. They vote for him if they know enough and if the people involved decide to play hide and seek, it is obviously an ill-informed strategy.
"Staera", who claims to be running the "Vote for Hakeem" fan page on Facebook, that had 189 fans before going to print was even more hot headed, declaring: "You can't force me to say what I do not want to reveal!"
Could it be that "they" are making the point that his family and background should remain secret because it is "private"? Why then would he join the Big Brother game where he is putting his life out there for the world to inspect?
Meanwhile, the Pokello Nare camp is hands on in campaigning for the socialite to win over the hearts of people. At the end of the day, it is up to the people to decide who they want to vote for but just making his presence known goes a long way by his people.
According to his profile, Hakeem is a father of one and aspires to be an actor.
"I like the idea of taking simple and exceptionally talented people like me and thrusting them into stardom," he says. "Also, I'm a model and aspiring actor seeking bigger opportunities".
Hakeem lists his favourite foods as crispy rosemary chicken with fries and macaroni with cheese. His favourite books include "The Art of War", "It's Time to Unleash Your Greatness" and "50 Shades of Grey" and he enjoys watching "X-Factor", "Two and a Half Men" and "Chris Angel: Mind Freak". His favourite musicians are, The Game, Drake, Chris Brown and Jay-Z and his favourite actors include Dwayne Johnson, Johnny Depp and Denzel Washington.
He says the best thing about Africa is the people, the culture, resources and history, which is "so rich, authentic and intriguing". His favourite place in the world outside of his home country is Jamaica, because of the food, drink and climate - "and the parties are out of this world".
Hakeem's role model is Tyson Beckford because he was the first black male model to become a supermodel. "He was picked from the streets, yet so humble, ambitious and composed," says Hakeem.
Tyrese has also played a major role in his life because "he has been it all - actor,singer, performer, writer, millionaire and motivational speaker who started from nothing".
If Hakeem wins Big Brother, he'll invest in property, pay tithes, go to college, take care of his son and own the biggest model agency in Africa to help open doors for others.
Rumours have also surfaced and they suggest that Hakeem is based in Sunningdale where he lives with his mother. He fathered a baby boy with his current girlfriend.
He is a former Arts student at Light House College in Manyame, Chitungwiza. He is known to be a loner who kept to himself throughout his days at the college in 2010.
He earned himself the nickname "Mr Light House" because he was big buff and older than most of the students.
Source - herald
