{{Namibia’s Dillish Mathews kept out of trouble and avoided controversy to bag $300,000 as the winner of this year’s Big Brother Africa reality television show.}}
The 22-year-old Namibian had been an underdog, seemingly content to be cool as her fellow housemates lit up the show, dubbed The Chase, with all manner of shenanigans.
Her unremarkable strategy initially earned her epithets from her competitors including being accused of not pulling her weight.
“That girl thinks she’s in a 5 star hotel. She just sleeps all day, does absolutely nothing and expects us to cook for her,” Kenya’s Huddah had said in May.
Interestingly the Windhoek-born third-year Psychology student had in her biography said she dislikes those who are lazy.
But the Namibian soon won over her housemates, maintaining cordial relations with most.
A favourite was her ‘Princess Dillish’ act, which was presented as a quirky and accented alter ego.
{{Prize money}}
The first Namibian to win the show, Dillish broke down in tears as soon as she was announced the winner in the grand finale on Sunday night.
She won five of the 15 country votes, while four other contestants split the other votes.
She describes herself as “caring, fun, troublesome, loving and adventurous”.
Her best quality is the fact that she’s “very real and straightforward,” she said, according to her profile on dstv.com.
She becomes the second woman to win since Zambia’s Cherise won it seven years ago.
The popular show has often courted controversy over what critics say is the encouraging of questionable morals among African youth.
That has not stopped politicians weighing in, with Zimbabwe’s President Robert Mugabe giving his country’s representative to the 2010 show, Munyaradzi Chidzonga. $300,000 as “compensatory” prize money.
Zimbabweans had felt Munyaradzi was robbed of victory. The eventual winner, Nigeria’s Uti, picked up $200,000 from the show organisers.
Mr Mugabe also topped up the winnings of the 2011 co-winner, Wendall Parson, with $50,000.
South Africa’s Keagan Petersen won last year’s show.
{Photo: Dillish Mathews}
NMG
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