Catching Up with Ruby The Dime

Robyn Nakaambo, better known as Ruby the Dime in the entertainment industry, first stole the nation’s heart with her husky voice, fashionable style and curvaceous beauty when she appeared on the airwaves a few years ago.

Today, she is a vivacious 30-year-old media personality, sought-after MC and public relations practitioner with over a decade of experience and an impeccable work ethic to match.

Nakaambo refers to radio presenting as her passion, but growing up, her first choice was always to study architecture.

“I was based in South Africa and just as I was about to enroll for architecture, circumstances led me back home and I ended up studying my second option. It was only a while later that I noticed that the industry was indeed meant for me. Growing up, I would record my voice over cassette players and think I was the coolest presenter ever,” she recalls.

Nakaambo loves everything about radio, but opted to stop working in the industry because it was not lucrative enough.

“I thought with the hours I would put into radio preparation and execution, I could be doing something else that is more lucrative,” she says.

“For now there are no plans of getting back on radio as I’ve got other priorities. I need to focus on my business. By the end of this month, I plan to launch a new shop in Windhoek,” the Oshakati-born beauty says.

Nakaambo explains that the shop caters for women who love looking good, as she would like to encourage other women to look their best at all times.

“I do love what I do now,” says Nakaambo, who has been a full-time public relations practitioner for seven years.

“They say you never have to work a day in your life if you love what you’re doing. I am living proof of this statement. In my new profession, every day brings new experiences, challenges, opportunities, lessons and achievements that I find super sweet,” she said.

Nakaambo is the presenter of the lifestyle television programme ‘Whata-Lifestyle’ on NBC, which earned her a Simply You Magazine Lifestyle and Fashion award for best TV personality in 2018.

She says the show is going well and has received several positive comments from the public.

“People often say they mainly like the segments such as ‘What I Wear’, which caters to male viewers and advises them how to dress and to make a lasting impression, and ‘Secret Obsession’, which focuses on different individuals and what they are obsessed with, collecting items such as shoes,” explains Nakaambo.

From her experience, she believes the Namibian broadcasting industry is faced with numerous challenges. While the industry is trying to get to international level, a lack of funds hampers these efforts, she says.

She mentions that there are concerns of outdated equipment and a lack of trained and skilled presenters.

Growing up, Nakaambo dreamt of being on TV. She admits that her platform comes with a sense of responsibility.

“I have realised the influence one has when you are behind a mic or in front of a camera. Hearing your voice or seeing your face may make a world of a difference to someone out there. I have therefore told myself to always carry myself in a respectable manner, surround myself with the right crowd and always do things that I would not mind people who look up to me to imitate,” she said.

Many fans often wonder who the real Ruby the Dime is… She describes herself as an open book.

“I am very frank, tactless and dislike dishonesty. I love fitness, cooking and being able to capture a crowd with my voice. Amongst my friends, I am a clown. I love attention. I am empathetic and quite emotional,” she says.

If you follow Nakaambo on social media, you will know that she enjoys sharing videos and images of her fitness and wellness journey. She began sharing exercise videos a few years ago, when she got serious about maintaining a healthy weight.

She believes that by sharing these videos, she is able to motivate others to live a healthy lifestyle.

“Exercising is my form of sanity and relaxation. I always feel guilty if I miss out on a session. I encourage everyone to take on healthy habits as your body is the only body you will ever have. Also, one of the perks of looking good is that you feel good,” she says.

Nakaambo also has an interest in cooking, which was sparked when fans asked how she prepared a specific meal. “So instead of individually responding to thousands of people, I decided to make videos explaining all the steps; from the ingredients to the final product,” she says.

Nakaambo says she gets a lot of people who sell slimming or detox teas, waist trainers or weight loss products who often ask her to share their products on her social media pages.

“I advocate healthy living and encourage my followers to have healthy habits so I simply show them how being healthy can be fun through my eating and fitness sessions,” Nakaambo says.

She adds she has made it thus far because she works hard and always avoids negativity.

Nakaambo says in the next five years she plans to have worked her way up the corporate ladder and expanded the distribution of her hair products.

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