For a generation of South African women who grew up watching SABC1, Zandisile ‘Zandi’ Nhlapo was a constant.
A polished, warm presence whose stunning face and signature short hairstyle in the corner of the screen meant the evening broadcast was moving along just fine.
She was, in the truest sense of the word, familiar.
Nearly three decades later, she is still familiar.
Only now, the intimacy she has built with her audience is deeper.
The 50-year-old television presenter, actress, and entrepreneur has stepped into a role that no casting director could have written for her: South Africa’s most prominent and most candid advocate for women navigating menopause and midlife.
It is a pivot that makes complete sense once you understand the woman behind the brand.
Zandi, affectionately known as Zandi, has spent recent years building what she calls “Seasoned by Zandi Nhlapo,” a personal platform rooted in wellness, empowerment, and the radical idea that growing older is something to be owned, not survived.
She describes herself simply as a “Menopause Advocate,” and wears the title without apology.
A different kind of stage
In March 2026, the generational beauty took centre stage at Burkleigh House in Johannesburg for a curated women’s wellness luncheon hosted in partnership with Nivea South Africa.
The event, themed Reset and structured around three experiential pillars (release, renew and restore) was designed to give women a deliberate pause in the middle of their fast-paced lives.
It was also the public unveiling of Zandi’s collaboration with Nivea on the brand’s Cellular Epigenetics Rejuvenating Serum, an advanced skincare innovation powered by the active ingredient EPICELLINE®, designed to support skin renewal and visibly address signs of ageing at a cellular level.
Drawing on a first-hand briefing from the brand’s international launch in Switzerland, she guided guests through the science behind epigenetics and framed it, in her signature style, as something personal.
The partnership, presented in this format, felt like a natural extension of the conversation she had already been having with South African women for years.
“We are all ultimately speaking one language”
Speaking to The Citizen after the event, Zandi reflected on what the day had meant to her, both as the host and as someone who had genuinely needed the room.
“I learned that we are all going through similar experiences in our own little, different corners, and we need spaces like this. We need platforms.
“We can never have enough of these conversations because we are ultimately growing human beings, and with growth, you ultimately have to adapt to where you are at that point in time,” she said.
It is the kind of observation that sounds simple until you consider what it took to get there. Zandi has been open about the health challenges that prompted her to slow down and reassess.
Challenges that ultimately led her toward menopause advocacy and a philosophy centred on nervous system regulation, intentional rest, and refusing to glorify constant busyness.
The luncheon, she said, crystallised something important about the universality of that experience.
“Finding that it resonates with them from different ages, from 35 to 40 to 50 – we are all ultimately speaking one language, whether it’s happening to you now or not. If it’s not happening to you now, it’s going to. So be prepared. And if it’s happening to you now, these are your coping mechanisms.”
From anti-ageing to pro-ageing
What distinguishes Zandi’s advocacy from the usual celebrity wellness narrative is the sharpness of her message around language, and what the language we use about ageing actually costs women. A sentiment shared by the other speakers invited to enrich the day’s programme.
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The shift from “anti-ageing” to “pro-ageing” means more than just marketing semantics to her. It represents a genuine cultural correction.
“We are now open, more open to ageing,” she said. “We are ageing with grace. We are owning being seasoned, and I love the fact that it’s no longer a scary thing.”
It is a message she directs pointedly at younger women, too, because, as she sees it, midlife confidence is not something you manufacture in your fifties. It is something you build decade by decade.
“If you are 25, you need to know that you’re going to be 30. And once you internalise that, when you reach 30, it’s much easier, you’re not going to be fighting 30.
“When you are 30, you’re not going to be fighting 50, because you’ve already acclimatised your mind, your heart, your body and your soul to growing. Because it is the only thing that is consistent in this life: change.”
Nivea South Africa’s marketing manager, Masindi Siaga echoed that framing in her comments about the partnership.
“By expanding our skincare innovation into epigenetic science and partnering with women who embrace scientific evolution in their pursuit of wellbeing, we aim to encourage women to take control of their skincare journey in a way that feels empowering and intentional,” Siaga said.
“It’s about reminding women that longevity and confidence are supported by a holistic approach.”
Rest as resistance
If Zandi has one non-negotiable in her current chapter, it is rest. Thought of as the foundation on which everything else is built, not as a reward, and not as a luxury.
Asked what she would be prioritising coming out of the Reset event, her answer was immediate:
“Rest. More than anything, rest. Because ultimately, your entire system relies on restoring itself while you rest. I don’t think there’s anything more important in life than that – and a healthy diet, obviously, and a healthy mindset, and a healthy heart.”
For a woman who spent the better part of three decades showing up on screen, showing up for brands, showing up for audiences, the choice to centre rest feels almost countercultural.
But that, perhaps, is precisely the point.
