Ok, firstly, he’s not related to the fire-brand and EFF boss Julius Malema, and he’s surname is spelt Malima, a proud Vhenda-he tells during interview at “his surprise birthday fete” at the Singleton Taste Chronicles Dinner, recently.
“Thanks to the Home Affairs department they decided to misspell my surname. Now everyone asks me the same question, if I’m related to Julius. I wish though,” says Malema with a chuckle, at his 26th birthday.
Malema or Malima, depending which whiskey you imbibing- is the face of the latest campaign for Singleton of Dufftown 12 Year Old Malt Whisky, that has the perfect flavour for new drinkers due to its smooth, rich, accessible flavour.
Below is his brief biography:
Malema grew up in Johannesburg and matriculated from Ferndale High School in 2008.
Upon completing his matric his pursued his love for film and story by enrolling at AFDA Film School in Johannesburg, where he studied cinematography and editing.
In 2012, he graduated from AFDA film school with a BA Honours Degree in Motion Picture Medium. In his postgraduate year, he was nominated for “Best Editor in Post-Production”, in the gold category and he walked away with the award.
He worked on the Student Academy Awards™ nominated film Kanye-kanye, where the film was nominated for “Best Student Film” in the foreign category.
The film has gone on to win numerous awards at international film festivals. The film also won “Best Student Film” at the South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTA’s) in 2014. His passion for film and editing was further shown in 2013 when he took the year to teach as a junior lecturer at AFDA.
In 2014 he became an assistant editor for SABC1 telenovela ‘Skeem Saam’ and his last edit was for the VUZUAmp mock-reality show Real Jozi A-Listers.
He also has a passion for photography. When he is not editing, he is out taking photos at events and around Johannesburg, as he is part of the Johannesburg Instagram community.
In 2015, Aust edited the Goliath and Goliath stand-up show “Awe Mzansi”, the Johannesburg International Comedy Festival, and the Comic’s Choice Awards.
When he is not editing, he is the official photographer for the Siya “The Threaded Man” Beyile and was the official photographer at the Nike Air Max Day in 2015.
He has shot the covers of Hype Magazine (Riky Rick edition), Sifiso Ncwane and Duncan’s cover for his latest album “Balaclava”.
Austin has also photographed the Thusanani Foundation Inaugural Dinner, Fill Up the Dome with Cassper Nyovest and the SuperMega show.
His associated jobs are DJ Ms Cosmo, Riky Rick, Cassper Nyovest, and AKA.
This year, he has been credited as an Offline Editor for The Queen; and editor for the 2016 Savanna Comic’s Choice Awards and the 2016 Savanna Newcomer Showcase.
His photography also extends to the new Woolworths Summer Campaign, Homecoming Picnic, and Rocking the Daisies.
Sasha Govender –assistant brand manager reserve portfolio Diageo (Singleton) – admitted she’s a loyal Singleton Old Malt Whiskey consumer. This also applies to her father.
Asked how would on describe Singleton, and what it stands for, she conceded that it’s not isolating, accessible in the market and affordable to any discerning whiskey drinker.
“It stands apart from others, hence all these campaigns and the likes of Austin will help propel it to greater lengths locally,” she said. Things have evolved and we’ve done away with old-man smoking type of a thing, she continued.
“Festivals such as the Whiskey Live gives us the platform to gauge our RIOs and so far, we’re happy with the returns.
On the international front, our brand managers are getting their hands dirty to make sure the brand is on par with others, when coming to aggressive marketing and visibility,” she remarked when asked on brand awareness campaigns and if returns are tangible.
Govender also highlighted importantly that this year’s campaigns will be about authenticity and cementing their presence in the market but completely ignored the question of break- even point.
