Big Brother Africa 2 housemates unveiled

M-Net's Big Brother Africa 2 has begun…and audiences can catch the drama, emotion and excitement of the 98-day reality series on DStv! So, just who are the 12 housemates?

Angola

Tatiana (26) is a model and actress by profession. She's won a Best Actress Award in her country twice consecutively for a career that she says she loves and is good at. It's no wonder then that she would love to visit Hollywood and to meet actress Uma Thurman. A fan of Brazilian soapies, Tatiana relaxes by going to the beach and says audiences should watch her on Big Brother Africa 2 because she's fun and entertaining though she admits that she has some bad habits.

Botswana

Justice (23) is a freelance journalist/student and if he wrote his own book, he would call it An Idiot's Guide to Harnessing the Marvellous Power of Madness. An absolute enthusiast for the art of debate, Justice says if he won US$100 000 he'd use part of the money to start a debating organization. He also says his favourite memory was when he presented a bid for Botswana to host the World Universities Debating Championships. “I was thrilled by the reception and encouragement I received.”

Ghana

Kwaku (30) is a self-employed entertainer and artists, and says that it's in the interest of DStv audiences to watch him on the show because he'll “keep them entertained.” He also says that he wanted to be on the show because he felt he “had the winning qualities required.” A fan of Ghana's Black Stars and self motivating literature, he says that if he could spend one day with someone famous, he'd pick Jay Z.

Kenya

Jeff (23) is a novelist and the author of a recently published book and describes himself as “competitive, confident and courageous”. Widely travelled across Africa, Jeff has taken in the sights and sounds of Kenya, South Africa, Tanzania and Zambia. He also lived in Harare in Zimbabwe for three years as a teenager. Looking to the future, he'd love to visit Lagos.

Malawi

Code (31) is a Malawian radio personality and music man who would love to visit Paris, likes weight lifting sometimes, enjoys reading music magazines, loves nature and wants to meet Al Gore because of Gore's role in the Global Warming Campaign. He says that the best advice he ever got was from his father who told him to “brush your teeth and keep your breath fresh all the time.”

Namibia

Meryl (21), a PA and receptionist, is the youngest housemate and couldn't be happier about being on the show. She says that being on the show means she can now show people who never believed in her what she's capable of and who she really is. Meryl describes her clothing style as revealing, sexy and seductive and would love to hang out on the islands of Hawaii.

Nigeria

Ofunneka (29) is a PA and is a 29-year-old Lagos resident who holds a BSC degree in chemistry. The straight-talking Ofunneka says that the event that changed her life was the recent end of a relationship which she describes as “an eye-opening experience.” She would love to travel to Rome and to visit the Vatican to see the Pope.

South Africa

Lerato (24) is an events co-ordinator and knows exactly why audiences should watch her on the show. The advertising college graduate reveals that she's full of surprises and says, “I even surprise myself so you never know what you going to get.” Having been selected as a housemate, Lerato says she wants to see “how far I can push myself.”

Tanzania

Richard (24), a student, says that if he won US$100 000, he'd spend it buying film equipment. The 24-year-old film student is passionate about making movies and considers filmmaker Peter Jackson is his personal inspiration. The only married contestant on Big Brother Africa 2, Richard would love to visit his wife's hometown of Brandon in Manitoba, Canada to see “where and how see grew up”.

Uganda

Maureen (27) is a fashion designer who describes herself as playful, naughty and silly sometimes, and says that going to India to study changed her life. She says that graduating from college in India was her best achievement because “the culture is so different from mine.”

Zambia

Maxwell (26) feels strongly about social causes. The call centre operator says that when relaxing he spends most of his time helping the poor. If he's given the opportunity to spend the day with someone famous, he'd choose Nelson Mandela because “he's got a heart for the poor.” And if Maxwell could visit any one place in the world, he'd go to Martin Luther King Square.

Zimbabwe

Bertha (28), a lawyer and PR consultant, spent a year in the USA as an exchange student when she was 16 and says the experience taught her to appreciate and love her home country. “I was an ambassador, a student, and a teacher. I had to learn about my people and teach others about my heritage. That changed my view of Zimbabwe and of Africa, and began my love affair with my continent.”