24-07-2025
BBM's Willy takes his clothing brand to the streets of Pretoria
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His kasi charm and rizz made him stand out in the Big Brother Mzansi house (BBM) S4.
He was one of the season's favourites, thanks to his relatable aura and love for the Bathu shoe brand.
Although Wilfred 'Willy' Thathane did not win the grand prize, he made it to the semi-finals, maintaining his resilience in the Big Brother house.
The GaRankuwa-born reality TV star bagged numerous brand collaborations, and he took his entrepreneurship to the next level.
Before BBM, Willy was working as a production planner at Nestlé until his friends encouraged him to audition for the show due to his vibrant personality.
Willy admits to Drum that he didn't even know about the reality show.
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'I honestly didn't even know what Big Brother was about. I went because my friends said I must go. Well, they encouraged me because of my personality. I had no plan going in, but I came out and realised that my life has changed forever.'
'I have now gotten the platform to work with brands in exchange for financial compensation and got exposed to a new world that I never knew existed when I was a regular 9-5 employee,' he adds.
Growing up, he knew he had no safety net. When times got tough, he had no choice but to keep pushing forward. His hustle began as early a 10 years old, where he started selling sweets at school.
'Growing up, life hasn't been easy, but the only thing that kept me going was the mere fact I don't have anything to fall back on, so I had to keep it moving. I couldn't afford to give up; therefore, nkase fele moya (I won't lose my drive) with the aim that dilo ditlo tlhakana (things are going to eventually work out).'
He made 'Lepara ale fele moya (A man doesn't lose his drive)' his daily mantra, which eventually became the name of his clothing brand.
'I was wearing a shirt that had my mantra, but with the exposure from the show and repping the four words 24/7, I decided to turn it into a clothing brand to extend its effect and to spread the message to the world at large,' he explains to Drum.
'Lepara Ale fele Moya is a daily mantra to encourage everyone not to give up. The goal is to turn it into a movement that speaks to everyone going through things they can't overpower, not to give up and trust the process.'
As with any other business, he has faced multiple challenges like the lack of reliable suppliers and financial resources, which have delayed the growth of his brand.
This has forced him to take his hustle to the streets of Pretoria to reach buyers.
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A post shared by WILLY (@wizly_wii)
In a recent post captioned 'Finally stepped out of the 'what if people won't buy' zone', his followers rallied behind his hustle and vouched to support the 25-year-old.
Speaking to Drum about putting pride aside and pushing his brand, he says, 'I don't associate myself with the word 'pride'. I just decided to not only depend on social media to market the business, but to also use my presence to attract more people and have a wider audience being exposed to the brand'.
What many may not know, though, is that this is but his second business.
'It was in early 2023 when a friend asked me to transport her little sister to her matric dance with my car. I then started to charge people and that's how Luxury Rentals was born.'
