Abigail Visagie: A Powerhouse of Talent, Style, and Storytelling

Cover picture captured by GOREALR STUDIOS

With over six years of live broadcasting experience, Abigail Visagie has earned her place as one of South Africa’s most trusted news anchors. As the host of News Night on eNCA, she delivers breaking news and conducts thought-provoking interviews with precision and warmth, captivating viewers nationwide. Known for her professionalism and engaging storytelling, Abigail has become a prominent voice in journalism, setting a high standard for excellence in the industry.

 

 

Beyond the newsroom, Abigail’s talents shine in the world of voice-over work and content creation. Her dynamic range and authentic delivery have made her a sought-after voice-over artist, bringing life to commercials, corporate videos, and animated content. As a content creator, she has collaborated with top-tier brands such as Dior Beauty, L’Oréal Paris, and South African Fashion Week, demonstrating her ability to craft campaigns that resonate with audiences and elevate brand identities.

 

Abigail’s career took off on eTV’s Craze, where her charisma and relatable personality instantly captivated viewers. She then sharpened her journalistic skills as a news anchor before stepping into the spotlight as the host of Show Me Love on Moja Love, cementing her status as a dynamic and versatile TV personality.

 

In this interview, we chat with Abigail about the inspirations behind her media career, her passion for fashion, and the key to her success. Plus, she gives us a sneak peek into the exciting projects she has lined up next!

 

You’ve had an incredible career as a news anchor and talk show host. What originally inspired you to pursue a career in media? 

Honestly. God’s grace and direction. 

Growing up in Danville, Mahikeng in the north-west province I didn’t even dream of being on television because it was just so far removed from my reality. I didn’t see anyone from my community on television and achieve these things so I didn’t really think that it was possible. 

My family and I moved to Pretoria when I started high school and since then things just sort of fell into my lap believe it or not. A chance encounter at the Rand Easter show in my teens lead me to an on the spot audition for CrazE on eTV, I got the job and a few months later I was a teen presenter on the channel and it’s so crazy because so many years later I would be a News Anchor on the sister channel ENCA.

Every television opportunity that I’ve received has always found me. I was headhunted by the E! Entertainment to do the search E! Host South Africa, I was then headhunted by Moja Love to do the talkshow SHOW ME LOVE with Unathi, KG and Nontobeko and then a chance encounter in the canteen of ENC’s offices lead to the opportunity to test as a News Anchor. 

God made sure that every opportunity found me but I had to ensure that I was prepared and ready to take on the opportunity. and that’s on God’s grace.

 

Aside from your media accolades, you are also a content creator and a fashionista of note. What made you fall in love with content creation, particularly in the beauty and fashion realm? 

I just started to post things that I genuinely love be it products, fashion, food, places or people and eventually brands took note and started to reach out to me to collaborate with them. I take a lot of pride in collaborating only with brands that I genuinely enjoy using myself.

 

I’ve never had a huge following so I’ve always had to make sure that my content is of the highest quality in order for brands to take a chance on me.

 

I still don’t see myself as an influencer but I genuinely have a love for creating beautiful content. I love coming up with concepts, ideas and ways to execute shoots. I also have an amazing production team in Offbeat productions and GOREALR who just genuinely get it and they take the production quality of my content to the next level.

 

Often smaller creators get discouraged because they don’t get opportunities as often as bigger creators but it really is just a process of taking your time, growing slowly and authentically and ensuring that you put out the highest quality content. I often get asked how to start reaching out to brands for collaborations but my advice for budding content creators would be to produce high-quality content with the product of the brands that you want to reach out to, tag the brands and get their attention also focus on getting you engagement rate as high as possible, follower amounts don’t mean that much anymore. 

 

Your glamorous resume speaks volumes about how invested you have been in your career. What motivates you to keep going and what would you say has been the key to your longevity in the industry? 

Throughout my career, I’ve had to constantly adapt and pivot—from presenting to news anchoring, reality TV, talk show hosting, and back to news anchoring. Oh, and let’s not forget content creation along the way.

 

Too often, we limit ourselves to one role or career path, even though we are multifaceted and have many talents. I’ve been driven by a desire to explore all the gifts God has given me. Independence has always been important to me, and I work hard to create the life I envision by doing what I love. My ultimate goal is to build a life that makes my parents and brothers proud while staying aligned with God’s purpose for me.

 

I would say my key to longevity in the industry is adapting to the type of opportunities that are available. Often we will turn down an opportunity because we think we aren’t ready for it or it’s not exactly the type of opportunity we want in that moment but I say go for it because it could just be a steppingstone to exactly what you’re looking for. 

 

At the recent Fashion Week extravaganza, you wore a standout ensemble from BAM Collective. How do you decide which designers to support or collaborate with? 

I absolutely loved wearing that statement piece from the Bam Collective. I’m very conservative in the way that I dress but because it was fashion week I thought let me take a bit of a risk and go with a big bold statement piece and a bold colour and I ended up absolutely loving the look.

 

My fashion aesthetic is usually very feminine, ladylike and glamorous so I gravitate towards those kind of designers and boutique stores. Some of my favourites being La Jaqueta and Bellacozi. I also strongly believe in dressing for your body type and for me I feel most confident in a more conservative aesthetic but with a touch of Glam of course. 

 

How would you describe your personal style, and how has it evolved over the years?

My personal style is feminine but more on the conservative side. Though I absolutely love a tailored suit I just feel so strong and powerful but still feminine in them. I also love glamorous gowns and dresses. I love feeling like a lady, like I could pop into a Parisian cafe at any moment. 

 

How do you keep your skin looking flawless, especially with the demands of being on camera frequently?

At the end of the day skin is going to skin and even though I 90% of the time have great skin, on a recent shoot day I woke up with the biggest pimple. And I think this is just the reality of our skin, it’s not always going to be flawless it’s not always going to be perfect and that’s okay.

 

For me, skin rest days are important I make sure that at least three days a week I’m not wearing any make up. On the days that I do wear make up and I make sure to remove my make up with Micellar water I then double cleans and moisturise and I make sure that I always wear SPF during the day. I also use a sheet mask once a week. 

 

Abigail’s beauty secrets 

NIVEA Q10 Body Range. Lotion and firming gel

R169.00

 

 

L’Oreal Paris Revitalift Serum and eye serum

R389.95

 

Dior Forever Glow Star Filter

R1,190.00

 

 

Garnier Micellar Water

R110.00

 

 

L’oreal Paris 3 second setting mist

R249.95

 

You’ve reached many career milestones. Which ones have you cherished the most?  

Oh there are so many but at the top of my list is definitely being a news anchor on ENCA. It’s such a huge platform and a career defining moment I also love telling South African stories so this opportunity will always be a cherished one. 

As a creator being added to Dior’s PR and events list was an OMG moment. 

And MC’ing events for one of the biggest beauty brands in the world L’oreal Paris has also been a Pinch Me moment. 

 

What advice would you give to young women looking to break into the media industry, especially those who want to combine it with their passion for fashion and beauty?

Firstly that you don’t have to be just one thing you can be many things. You can be a woman Media and a woman in beauty and a content creator and and and…

 

I would say that having a qualification in journalism or media studies is definitely an advantage if you can’t get that then experience is your next best option.

 

As an introvert I would be terrified at my next piece of advice but it is vital, you have to put yourself out there and you have to meet the right kind of people in order to find the right opportunities. Attend events and networking opportunities. Don’t be afraid of being a conversation starter, asking questions and having conversations about what type of opportunities you are looking for. 

 

Finally, what’s next for Abigail Visagie? Are there any exciting projects or collaborations on the horizon that you can share with us?

Next for me, I would absolutely love to get into radio it’s a platform that I’ve always dreamed of working in and I think I would be fantastic at it.

 

But an exciting project that I just finished working on is my first digital campaign shoot with L’oreal Paris. Growing up I always saw these beautiful women in the L’oreal Paris TV ads saying the words “because I’m worth it” and I never even thought that I could ever be one of those women but I am. We just finished filming the digital campaign for L’oreal Paris make up and I am one of the four ladies featured in the campaign that will be released very soon.  I can’t wait for everyone to see it!