It’s all glitz, glam, diamonds and pearls when it comes to effervescent drag performer Manila von Teez. As it should… She’s been strutting her stuff and elegantly voguing her way to the top since 2010. “I was introduced to the drag community after tagging along with some of my friends. One of my friends was a pageant queen at the time and I was just along for the ride,” she says.   

“My friend never wanted to do drag by herself, so I decided to join in. It was all fun and games in the beginning, but later we decided to perform as a duo, and we nailed Nicki Minaj’s ‘Superbass’. The crowd went wild.” There’s no need to guess who took the role of Nicki in the performance…    

From that moment on, Veon Wentzel (Manila’s birth name) took a back seat and Manila von Teez came alive. She took her stilettos to the national stage and entered SA’s Got Talent in 2016. Mzansi took notice as she lip-synced for her life and threw in beautifully crafted dance routines that had the judges on the edge of their seats. In the end, she was crowned runner-up.  

“What started out as a passion project and side hustle for me now grew into a fully-fledged career. The TV show truly catapulted me to stardom and people started seeing who I was, and it now created this sense of activism,” Manila says. “I never thought of myself as an activist but when I look at it in a sense of representing myself and living authentically, it truly is a form of activism. In everything I do, I want to make people feel a certain way… joy, happiness, giving them the ability to laugh.”   

“It’s about evoking emotion. It’s all about the ooohs and aaahs, darling. Not boos, but ooohs and aaahs.” In every industry, when one rises, there’s someone waiting for you to fall. When asked about the support and sense of community in the local drag space, Manila says it’s a real sisterhood.   

“IT’S ABOUT BEING VISIBLE IN YOUR SPACE AND CHANGING THE GAME SO THAT WHOEVER COMES AFTER YOU WILL HAVE AN EASIER PATH TO FOLLOW”   

 “There’ll always be shady ladies, but for the most part we all support one another. There are some younger queens who step onto the scene and immediately want praise or recognition. But for me it’s always about showing respect to your fellow sister and acknowledging that all the ‘older queens’ had to crawl to create opportunities for all of us coming up in the industry today.”    

You’d think the pro couldn’t learn from anyone else, but Manila praises fellow drag performer Angel Lalamore. “The first time I saw Angel on stage I was completely blown away. She has a phenomenal stage presence and I remember watching her perform – my mouth dropped to the floor.” Of course, the ultimate Mother of Drag, RuPaul, is also a huge inspiration. “RuPaul’s Drag Race really made mainstream and showcased it as an art form,” says Manila.     

“The show also highlighted drag culture, that as a performer you always aim to elevate yourself with each performance. I’m all for that, I refuse to go stale. It’s about reinventing yourself and your art form and never being afraid to push boundaries.”    

“TAKE TIME TO GET TO KNOW YOURSELF; THE EARLIER 51 YOU START THIS PROCESS, THE BETTER”   

Manila did all that and more while on set at our cover shoot. When she realised her co-star for the day was a corn snake named Egypt, she jumped at the opportunity to get the perfect shot. “I had to mentally prepare myself,” she laughs. “But I was game for it, and I was going to live my Britney Spears ‘I’m a Slave For You’ fantasy. Own it. Live in the moment.” At the end of the day, it’s all about passion and giving fans, supporters (and sometimes even naysayers) something to look forward to.   

“These days, people watching you are happy to tip whatever they can offer at the time. It’s all about showing appreciation for the art form,” says Manila. “Those tips go back into the next performance, whether it’s getting fabric for a new outfit or getting some new make-up. It goes back into the art form. A way of filling each other’s cups.”    

Speaking of fulfilment, Manila gushes over partner and pastry chef Shadwick Southgate. “We’ve been together for nearly seven years now. We share a home together with his sister and our little one Alex,” she says. “Shadwick is very supportive of my career. I’m extremely busy, but after a long night on stage I know I’ll be coming home to someone supportive, loving and who’s willing to rub my feet,” she laughs. “I give so much of myself on stage and socialising with fans after the show. It can be exhausting. So, to go home to my little safety net of a partner is so amazing.”    

Having grown up in Elsies River on the Cape Flats, she knows just how tough coming out can be. “I was raised by a single mother and she was quite religious. So, it was hard for her to accept my new lifestyle. I couldn’t come out to her in person, I had to do it in a letter,” Manila explains.  

“It was tough pouring my heart out and dealing with their reaction. But as liberating as it was for me, I had to give my family the opportunity to come to terms with it in their own time. Today, we’re in a good space. Many people have gone through this. And it’s okay.” Her advice? “As cliché as it may sound: just be yourself. It’s important to be authentically you. Take time to get to know yourself; the earlier you start this process, the better. It’s not an easy road but learn to be comfortable in your own skin because you only have that skin. Better yet, surround yourself with people who love and support you through it all. If you can do all that, the world is your oyster.”   

“IF YOU’RE NOT GOING TO BE THE ROLE MODEL YOU NEEDED GROWING UP, THEN THE NEXT PERSON WON’T EITHER”  

MUSIC FOR THE SOUL

What’s next for this daring diva?
“Music, honey!   

I’d like to make more music and turn it into a solid career. I recently released a song called ‘Come For Me’ and did a tour in Knysna as part of the Peacock Festival,” she says. “It was amazing being back on stage with some of my friends who started around the time I did, and just having a great time talking about our drag and our growth over the years.   

The real party is backstage… at any show! Drag has been my stem, holding me firm. But I would like to expand into music and even film. Just branching out and planting a little seed of drag in everything I do.”  

Words By: Melissa Ndlovu
Photography: Zhann Solomons