She’s the Cinderella of SA’s telenovela, Umkhokha.
When it first started, she was a loving little sister. Now she’s had to adjust to being a wife, after a marriage was arranged for her in order to save the church that her family has been a part of for as long as she can remember.
A bit of a sacrificial lamb, she was married off by her stepmother to the heir of the church royal family.
However, it was all an attempt to have the stepmother’s foot in the door of the church’s leadership.SNL24
When it first started, she was a loving little sister. Now she’s had to adjust to being a wife, after a marriage was arranged for her in order to save the church that her family has been a part of for as long as she can remember.
A bit of a sacrificial lamb, she was married off by her stepmother to the heir of the church royal family.
However, it was all an attempt to have the stepmother’s foot in the door of the church’s leadership.
In the first season of Umkhokha, Mabusi’s life is placed on the line from the minute she walks into her marriage to Siphamandla, played by Nay Maps. She ends up developing feelings for him over time.
Her stepmother, Mamzobe – played by Deli Malinga – plots to kill Mabusi and her husband so that her own husband can take over the reins of the church. Reluctant to buy into the plot, Mabusi’s father – played by Sibonile Ngubane – stands by his daughter.
Being the outspoken daddy’s girl even in real life, actress Hope Mbhele says playing Mabusi comes naturally.
“I’m naturally a daddy’s girl so I related with that. I love family and it (the character) was very family oriented. I love my religion, so all of those things were really within me, and they were really values that I’ve found very important.”When the plot is finally exposed and she is caught between a rock and a hard place, Mabusi ensures that Mamzobe pays for all her sins, including those that drove both her sisters to commit suicide.
The second suicide in the family is blamed on umkhokha, the curse which persists from the first suicide in the family if and when the deceased is not punished before they’re buried.For her, taking the country through this rollercoaster ride has been “challenging because it was my first big role, and I knew that it’s going to change my life so it’s something that I went into trying to make up this character and trying to relate to it as much as possible”.
For the character, she went as far as learning about the culture and the religion depicted in the storyline just so she could portray it respectfully.
“I had to be very respectful to culture nge ndlela eyismangaliso (in an amazing way), I had to look up how things are done and also just respect the culture of uk’hlanganiswa – an arranged marriage and try to portray it in a way that was still respectful to the different cultures we have in South Africa.”
She says her efforts don’t go unnoticed as she’s been rewarded with a warm reception from people in the streets when they recognise her.
Even so, she says that detaching herself from the character is something she has found very easy to do.
“I strongly believe in leaving the character. I don’t know if it’s a good or a bad thing but I am Hope Mbhele until I get into character and when I’m done on set, I leave the character. I strongly don’t allow myself to get too attached in a way that it starts impacting my personal life. [However], it changed me because of the way people perceived it [and welcomed it into their homes].”
Not much has changed in the second season of the show for Mabusi. It’s been extended for airing but has also changed from a weekly show to a daily telenovela as from 6 March 2023.
Speaking to Drum on what viewers can expect in this new season, Hope says “[Mabusi] is still the same but is very much outspoken, she speaks her mind more”.
Although Mabusi shares her similarities with Hope, who loves her career and puts it at the top of her priority list just after God and family, the Kwazulu-Natal-born actress says the two are different when it comes to the capacity to forgive and compromise.
“I would most probably not be as forgiving as [Mabusi] through some of the things she’s done. Uyaba cabangela abantu nokuthi uyathath’izinto az’bheke ehlombe lwakhe (She is considerate of other people and is so selfless that she put other people’s problems on her shoulders), mina I think I try and put myself first and yena she makes a whole lot of sacrifices for her family, for her church,” she says as she giggles.
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With her first love remaining radio and presenting, Hope’s dream of acting is finally coming full circle with the character of Mabusi. She studied drama in school and never thought acting success would come as quickly as it did.
“I’ve always written stories growing up, so I always said that I’d write stories that I would act in, so it’s always been a dream of mine and I’ve always fell in love with it, like it’s just always been a part of my life.
“When I was young, I would host kiddies’ parties and dance at them and all of those things, so I was an entertainer. I think that’s how I just fell in love with acting,” she adds.