Cape Town - Their work outfits consist of Peruvian weaves, skimpy clothes and high heels. They start when most people are heading home and they can earn up to R100 000 a month.
Theirs is a life of partying, networking, entertainment and more partying and their idol is socialite Khanyi Mbau. Welcome to the world of Innocentia Morolong and Eva Modika – the smoking hot twosome who call themselves the Sandton Dolls. These two get paid to show up, host, dance and hype up clubs around Johannesburg, rubbing shoulders with the who’s who of politics and business. But they aren’t blessees or slay queens, they’re quick to tell DRUM.
It’s honest work, they insist – although there’s nothing ordinary about it. “We’re party hostesses,” Innocentia (25) says. Their job, she explains, is to create hype about a club so that rich people will go there and spend loads of money. Every week they get calls from clubs to work as hostesses at the weekend and they can make up to R30 000 a night. “If Eva gets a call, I go with her just to support her and she also returns the favour,” Innocentia says. The job starts immediately by promoting said party on social media. Constant posts containing information about the party dominate their social media and on the day Innocentia and Eva (23) go all out, decking themselves out in glitzy clothes that leave little to the imagination, a bit of make-up, expensive shoes – which sometimes run up to R10 000 – and their trusted weaves.
“Our job is to get people to clubs so we can party with them as they spend money on expensive drinks,” Eva explains. Sometimes their targets spend up to R150 000 a night on alcohol alone, and the Dolls get a percentage of that. “The other night a famous politician spent R130 000,” adds their friend Tebogo Ramokgadi, who joins in the conversation. Their job is getting the right people to the club, Eva says, and entertaining them once they’re there. “We dance all night. We’re not the type to sit in a corner and look pretty. We’re fun to be around and that’s why a lot of people want to hang out with us. We make a party fun. We’re loud and exciting.”
The more money patrons spend, the more money the Dolls make. They can pocket anything from R5 000 to R30 000 in a night, they reveal. “Every club is different and the percentage we get varies from club to club,” Eva adds. “It can go up to 30%. The more posh the club, the more money we make. “Our income can be over R100 000 in a month if we get paid close to R30 000 for four nights in a month,” she says.
This excludes transportation, hotel and food bills, which are paid for by the club. Party hosting is something they never imagined as a career, Eva says. “I thought that this kind of work was only for famous people like Khanyi Mbau, but when the Moloko club owner suggested that I host parties, I heeded the call.” They’re often called all kinds of names on social media, from stocko (escort) for celebrities to prostitutes, but they never sleep with their clients, Innocentia and Eva say.
Innocentia says she was called a prostitute on television by a former friend and Big Brother housemate. An angry Innocentia threatened to sue for R2 million for defamation. “But when I checked the television footage, there was no mention of my name,” Innocentia says. She maintains it was about her but it put her on shaky legal ground. “This made it difficult to pursue the case. I also decided to move on with my life. My parents were hurt by the statements. I’m still hurt but I have decided to forget about the matter.” They’re often mistaken for blessees, she says. “We don’t date or sleep with men for their money, we host them at clubs or parties and we get paid for hosting them.”
The flashy lifestyle isn’t without its fair share of risks. Last year Innocentia was abducted from the Hydro Lounge, on Rivonia Boulevard, and raped by a man she says she knows well. “I didn’t think he would rape me. He pretended he wanted to talk to me and requested I take a walk with him. I know the guy well and didn’t suspect he’d hurt me. I told the bouncers not to worry but when we were out of people’s view he dragged me away and raped me,” she says.
She opened a case of rape shortly after the incident but has since had second thoughts about pursuing the case as it has “caused a lot of grief”. She still gets emotional when thinking about it, she says, and it still hurts her parents. It’s not something she wants to talk about in great detail, she tells us.
Going back to explaining their work, the Dolls say their families know the kind of work they do and are supportive. “I sat my parents down and explained what I do. I organise parties, so naturally I’ll go to parties. They’re concerned about my safety, but I told them we’re protected by bouncers,” Innocentia says.
When the communications science graduate isn’t hosting parties she runs a modelling agency. The former Central University of Technology student hopes to one day pursue a PhD. Eva moved from Limpopo to study law at Vaal University of Technology last year but dropped out after six months.
“My work’s been keeping me so busy I haven’t been to school for the past six months. “The Vaal area is too far from Joburg and I used to be so broke when I was in the Vaal that I ended up spending a lot of time in Joburg,” she says. “But I’m continuing with my studies at the University of Johannesburg this year.”
Through her hostess gig she’s able to afford a R10 000 flat in central Joburg. This means she can be closer to school. They’re both aware their job is solely dependent on looks and so isn’t permanent.
Eva launched an online clothing boutique last year to make sure she has something to fall back on. They’re hoping to get their lives documented soon to bust some myths about their jobs. They’ve teamed up with Tebogo, a celebrity make-up artist and musician, to produce a reality show called The Diamond Dolls. Tebogo is the brains behind the show and the executive producer, while Eva is the creative director and Innocentia will be managing the project.
They’re hoping to sell their idea soon, but meanwhile the Dolls continue to live it up. It’s a hard life, but someone’s got to do it.
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