Weltevreden Park’s multi-talented Rozanne is a trailblazer
Besides being a television and radio presenter, a mother and wife, she has also started a media content creation company, ensuring her days are quite busy.
If you say the name Rozanne McKenzie, many Jacaranda FM listeners will quickly tell you that her smooth voice helps them navigate the traffic every weekday between noon and 4pm, but that is only one of the many talents she has.
The 38-year-old said she wanted to be a newsreader since she was a little girl. “I have been in the media industry since 2008 and worked for UCT Radio as a presenter and news bulletin writer. My career really took off when I started working on Kwêla in the same year, and since then I have worked on live breakfast TV, magazine shows, news and actuality programmes, and so much more. I am also presenting on two television shows on the DStv channel VIA. They are Besigheid wat saak maak and Kopskuif.”
Rozanne said he grew up in Bonteheuwel on the Cape Flats, before moving to the Southern Suburbs with her mother, Ann McKenzie, who she said has made the biggest impact on her life.
“My mother is a single parent who has worked extremely hard to ensure I had a better life. She is a nurse and my biggest hero; I really look up to her.”
Her school years were quite enjoyable, and Rozanne said she was a well-rounded learner, participating in arts, culture and sport activities. She also did well academically. It was no surprise when she went on to study Drama and Media at the University of Cape Town, and also completed her honours degree in Drama.
She moved to Johannesburg to start a two-year theatre contract, touring South Africa with a production of Grease at the Barnyard.
After completing this tour, she moved to Allen’s Nek, where she met her husband, Chris Bishop. “We bought our first home just before our son James was born. A year later we moved to Weltevreden Park, and this is where our daughter Fallon was born. We just love this area, and believe it is a great place to raise a family, as the community always look out for each other, and the support regarding resident safety is phenomenal!” she said.
Besides being a television and radio presenter, a mother and wife, she has also started a media content creation company, ensuring her days are quite busy. She said, “Every day is different. I start my day off with a training session to ensure I am energised for the day ahead. Then I will attend meetings or do voice-overs before heading to the Jacaranda FM studio for my shift. After that, I will work on projects from Rozanne McKenzie Media, before heading home to my family. Some days I have an MC gig at an event. The days can be very long, but they are also rewarding, as I love what I do!”
Rozanne said although the media industry is known as a male-dominated environment, she has always been lucky enough to work with many male producers or managers that were not scared to recognise and utilise the value she could add to a television or radio programme, and she explained, “I know that there are not many female executive producers, and with my company, I want to change that.”
And, even though her media company is offering a variety of services ranging from voice-overs to presentation skills coaching, she is the proudest of their first television show that will be airing on 9 September.
“The show is called Omgee Engele and will be on DStv’s VIA channel 147. This is a very special show, with great sponsors and media partners. I do not want to give away too much, but the show revolves around stories about people who have been featured on Jacaranda’s Good Morning Angels over the past few years, and the impact on their lives. It is a show about good news, something South Africa needs right now,” said Rozanne.
Rozanne can be seen as a trailblazer in the media industry, paving the way for women who want to follow in her footsteps. She concluded with this message, “It’s not easy being a woman in South Africa, and we don’t feel safe. We have had to become strong and resilient because there is so much that we constantly have to fight for, just to be treated equally. The strength and resilience that we had to develop mean that we are a force to be reckoned with. When we speak with one voice and start saying enough is enough, people will have no choice but to listen to us and act to make our lives better. We deserve more.”
