Making a living speaking: 

Weza Matomane

His childhood

Weza Matomane grew up in a township in the South of Johannesburg known as Sebokeng. He has always believed he is destined for something great and states that he was different from the other kids. Weza claims he was too intelligent and whilst watching tv, he got to improve his command of the English language and accent. At his young age, he would imitate tv characters. 

He went to a multiracial school and as a result of space being unavailable in the English class, he was forced to do everything in Afrikaans which he says wasn’t easy.  “There were racial tensions, in some instances, I was seated next to a white child and our elbows touched, he jumped and rub it as if I would infect him with a disease or something,” he recalls.

Weza’s father lost his job and they faced a rough patch which resulted in them moving from one room to another which wasn’t easy. “It was difficult sharing a small space with my parents and three siblings, I often attended to my homework with candlelight because there was no electricity,” he states.

While his life was taking a strain, his mother was pursuing a Fashion Design qualification which later took them out of poverty. He was 16-years-old at the time and his mom’s boutique was doing well. He advises women not to put their dreams on hold because of their kids and marriage.

High school days

“Growing up, I wanted to be a lot of things so I approached life with an open mind. There was even a time when I wanted to be a professional rugby player,” he states. Weza went from playing in his under 14/C team. He knew his parents couldn't afford to pay for his varsity fees and he discovered that in order to acquire a Sasol bursary, one should perform well academically and in almost everything he felt he was average. Weza then decided to have role models in every aspect he aspired to excel in. He looked for people who were doing well in rugby because he was passionate about it and realized that if he performed well it would increase his chances of attaining a bursary.

In his senior high school years, Weza played craven week rugby as the provincial elite, an annual rugby union tournament organized for schoolboys in SA. He played with people who went on to play for the Springboks and he got to appear on SuperSport. At the end of his matric year, he was awarded a gold medal from the Department of Basic Education and believes that it was possible through role modeling. 

Life in varsity

He acquired a chemical engineering bursary because it seemed comfortable and secure in terms of finances even though it wasn’t something, he was passionate about. He pursued it at the University of Pretoria. However, due to the financial crisis, he dropped out in his third year.

The birth of his career as a voice-over artist

“I would be telling a lie if I said I was inspired by someone to become a voice-over artist because I was clueless about,” says Weza. When he was watching tv, he would imitate how the characters spoke because he found it interesting.

A friend requested him to DJ for her when he was 17 years old and he took the mic and imitated the people he watched on tv and they loved it. Fortunately, he was discovered by a guy who worked at Sun International. Weza was later called to audition for the MC gig which he didn’t get because of he was underage.

To cut the story short, two years later an agency called him to work at Sun International and that was the birth of his career as a voice-over artist. He started focusing on voice-over business and he acquired gig after gig.

On his career

Do you know the Shoprite checkers ad? Well, I thought the voice behind it was of a white guy but I was wrong because that’s Weza. When asked if he attends any voice training, he said he didn't. However, he advises those who would like to follow in his footsteps to get training because it personally took a long time to get big gigs because according to clients, he always lacked something.

He now trains people on how to become voice-over artists, the workshop consists of all of the tips he received from the gigs he didn’t get. He says that his students are doing well. If you want to be part of his workshop, you can find more information on his website: www.wezathatguy.com.

The rise of his career

 “Today I do not have to audition, I simply get a call and a script then I get paid,” he says. Weza did the voice-over of the South African Music Awards (SAMAs), which is great because he has always been a huge fan of the event. A few gigs he is proud to have scored include BBC Earth, BBC Lifestyle, Cartoon Network as well as voice-overs for movies he grew up watching. He also did the voice-overs for SAfm, the Dial Direct tv adverts and many more.

The 27-year-old is currently working on a lot of projects including his company where they get people into the industry. He has a nonprofit organisation called Live unplugged where they host seminars. On top of that, he is pursuing a marketing degree because knowledge is key.

According to Weza, you don’t require a billboard voice to be a voice artist, you simply have to have a language and accent then you will excel. “You can pursue radio drama, character voices and there is always a need for someone with an ordinary voice. However, the more versatile you are, the more gigs you will score,” he states.

During this interview, I realized that Weza is religious, he kept on quoting bible scriptures. When asked about what he does for fun, he laughs and says his life is fun, however, to relax he plays video games.

Photo: Facebook