As a trailblazer in the television and entertainment industry, Lala Tuku has spent her career both in front of and behind the camera, passionately fighting for more diverse representation and opportunities for women.
From her early days at the National School of the Arts to her current leadership role at the SABC, Lala is a force driving change in South Africa's creative landscape. Here, she opens up about her journey, the challenges of being a woman in a male-dominated industry, and the steps she's taking to reshape the future of storytelling. She also to takes a moment to reflect on her evolution in the industry, the challenges and triumphs of leadership, and her unwavering commitment to creating spaces for women to lead, create, and tell their own stories.
Glamour: You’ve had a remarkable journey in the television and entertainment industry. Can you take us back to the beginning – what first sparked your passion for storytelling and production?
Lala: My passion for storytelling was ignited at a very young age—I can trace it back to when I was a little girl listening to a Little Red Riding Hood LP and imagining the story and retelling it at any and every opportunity I had. The defining moment came in Grade 5 during an English poetry performance exam. While other children simply recited their poems, I brought costumes, used different accents for each character, and completely transformed the piece into a theatrical experience. My English teacher was so impressed that she phoned my mother afterward and said, 'I think Lala has a gift'—and that led to my introduction to the National School of the Arts for high school. Attending the National School of the Arts as one of the first Black children opened me to a whole new world where I could be anything I wanted to be. That safe space of creativity and unlimited possibility became the foundation of everything I do today.
Glamour: From being both in front of the camera and behind the scenes to now leading at the SABC, how has your role in the industry evolved over the years, and what have been some pivotal moments in that evolution?
Lala: I began my career as an actress who, honestly, was not impressed by the representation of Black women on screen, and at every opportunity, I begged to be in the writing room. The scarcity of opportunities in my field of choice as a writer/director pushed me to study a completely new degree. After graduating, I opened a consulting firm that would later grow to conceptualise, do PR and marketing, and stakeholder engagement, and I landed one of the biggest accounts for the Department of Arts and Culture at the time, which was to manage the marketing and PR of the Art Biennale in Venice, dubbed the Art Olympics. Still passionate about the film and television space, I landed a job at the National Film & Video Foundation, which was an agency whose core mandate was to develop, promote, and build an equitable and viable film industry. After many successful years, my creative bone was calling, and I moved into the creation and producing of television content, and now, in a full-circle moment, I get to inform the national broadcaster in South Africa in terms of local content.
The pivotal moments in my evolution were often the most challenging ones. Early in my career, I desperately wanted to direct but was told, 'There are no Black directors, let alone female. You've got a pretty face—try acting.' I accepted that path initially, but there came a moment on set where I had to make a choice between compromising my values or walking away from what seemed like career suicide. I walked off set, took my bags, got into my small car, and started driving. People don't do that. When you get a long-term contract, you are part of the 'lucky working actors.' I was told I would never work in the industry again, but that moment of choosing my integrity over stereotypical storytelling became the catalyst for everything that followed.
Glamour: As a woman now in a leadership role at one of the most influential broadcasters in South Africa, what have been the biggest challenges and triumphs in shaping the narrative from the top?
Lala: The Content portfolio is a big portfolio, and I'm incredibly excited about it and stretched by it. The SABC remains a very important entity and the voice of the people. Leading one of the most influential broadcasters in South Africa comes with enormous responsibility — we have a mandate to elevate by telling compelling, informative, and entertaining stories that serve as a mirror to society. The biggest challenge has been the historical underrepresentation of women in both our stories and in decision-making roles. When I entered the industry many years ago, the only places we were represented were in front of the screen, in make-up and catering, as cited in the 2018 NFVF gender study.
There was literally no one to talk to when men misused their power because there were so few women in senior positions. That isolation was profound and dangerous. Until there can be that balance, we can't really develop and move forward. The gender study done in 2018 confirmed what we all knew — that females exist primarily in make-up and catering, but not in key creative and executive areas of the film industry. This is why I've made it a personal mandate to advocate and occupy places that would shift the narrative equally, to send the elevator back down and keep seats at the table for other women.
Glamour: In a space historically dominated by men, what has it meant for you personally and professionally to be a trailblazer at the SABC?
Lala: This has been a particularly long, interwoven journey for me. Stepping into leadership in a space that has, for so long, been shaped and defined by men has been both humbling and empowering. Personally, it has meant carrying the responsibility of showing that women not only belong here, but that we bring a way of leading that is rooted in collaboration, care, and vision. Professionally, it has meant being intentional about opening doors wider than I found them — ensuring that the next generation of women in film and television sees themselves reflected not just on screen, but also in decision-making spaces.
Glamour: How important are platforms like the DLO Brunch in creating spaces for meaningful conversations among women in media and leadership?
Lala: Spaces and panel discussions that center around meaningful conversations among women in media and leadership are vital. They provide a platform to share experiences, challenges, and strategies that are often invisible in mainstream industry conversations. These spaces foster mentorship, collaboration, and a sense of solidarity — reminding women that they are not navigating this path alone. More than that, they help shift industry culture. When women come together to discuss leadership, representation, and inclusion, it creates accountability and inspires systemic change.
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