“If I were to bring up the idea of an open marriage to my wife, she’d laugh at my face and probably say: ‘Tell me when you’re done joking’. We’ve spoken at length about what we want to achieve in our marriage.”
Hungani Ndlovu delves deeper into his character as Thabo “Tbose” Maputla on Skeem Saam.
Hungani Ndlovu says while his Skeem Saam character Thabo “Tbose” Maputla is vehemently pushing for an open marriage, in real-life he would never dare to ask his actor wife Stephanie for such.
The storyline where Tbose asks his wife Mapitsi (Mogau Motlhatswi) for an open marriage currently has television viewers on the edge of their seats
But asked if the concept of a non-monogamy union appealed to him in real-life, Ndlovu said: “Hell no… I don’t aspire to such because the concept of marriage is more sacred between two people,” he said.
“To grow and build something with someone you call your life partner is what I aspire to. We have a covenant and it’s something I want to preserve as much as possible,” Ndlovu added.
“If I were to bring up the idea of an open marriage to Steph, she’d laugh at my face and probably say: ‘Tell me when you’re done joking’. We’ve spoken at length about what we want to achieve in our marriage.”
Ndlovu was this month recast in the popular role made famous by Cornet Mamabolo, which was met with polarising reception from the fans of the SABC 1 daily drama.
“Taking up the role of Tbose has been a rollercoaster of a journey… a great one I might add. The process of getting the job and being on set was very nerve-wracking on its own and the recast was quite daunting to deal with mentally but when I overcame that feeling, my abilities as an actor strengthened. I was able to do the things that are required to embody this role.
“I know viewers are only being introduced to the new Tbose now but for me, it’s been a couple of months and I am glad I have established more of a solid relationship with my on-screen parents and my on-screen wife as well as my son.
“I wanted to use the opportunity for my colleagues/actors to learn and know who this new Tbose is coming from.”
Viewers have expressed concern over a Tsonga actor taking over a character that speaks fluent Pedi.
“Hungani only knows two or three Sepedi words, even Lehasa (Cedric Fourie) is better than him,” @Bongani_Selepe tweeted.
“I am aware that most people find it challenging to accept a recast of a role they’ve grown to love and Cornet has done so well with Tbose in the past decade… Now that people have been watching and have been commenting on my role, good or bad, I’m just glad that they are engaging,” he said.