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.

Read More | Umkhokha actress Deli Malinga on her first award nomination after 30 years in the industry

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.

As they learn how to cook, DJ Zinhle and her oldest daughter, Kairo Forbes, will cherish their time together as mother and daughter.The eight-year-old “exposed” the Umlilo hitmaker for her lack of cooking skills earlier.

In a social media video, Kairo (Zinhle’s daughter with the late rapper AKA) naively criticizes her mother for her lack of cooking skills. In the video, Kairo is with her grandfather, Tony Forbes, when she is asked a few questions, including her favorite dish that her mother prepares.

“My mom doesn’t cook for me. The childstar answers, “She doesn’t know how to cook,” before revealing that Zinhle enjoys preparing them eggs for morning.After the video, Zinhle turned to her X account to see if anybody would be interested in training her to cook. She said that her daughter would be one of the students.

Since the death of her husband, Mampintsha, the talented singer and dancer, has been going through a lot. Months ago, fans were so worried about her health, but today she is trending for weight gain.

2024 started very well for Babes; she even went to gigs to perform, and she is ready to release her EP in the coming months. She has shared photos revealing how she’s been living her life. However, the most recent photo left her followers in awe, as she’s gained more weight.

One of Babes Wodumo’s fans shared an old photo of her and a recent photo with the caption, “Babes Wodumo has gained weight.” This left social media in a good mood, and fans are happy for her.While many celebs took to their social media accounts to share their Valentine’s Day shoots and gifts, Gqom musician Babes Wodumo opted to appreciate and remember the love she shared with her husband, Big Nuz member Mandla “Mampintsha” Maphumulo

“As young as I was when we met, thank you, Father God, for allowing me to find my soulmate at such a young age. What a journey it was sthandwa Sam (my love). Today, I would love to say thank you, babazi, for believing in me as Babes Wodumo and, most importantly, as a wife! Lapho ukhona (where you are), I assure you that the Maphumulos and

BABES WODUMO
The first Valentine’s she spent without her husband saw the musician visit his grave before penning a short note on her Instagram account.

“Wow, after so many years, this is the first Valentine’s Day without you, Sthandwa Sam’ (my love). Today, women out there are celebrating with loved ones, but my being here today makes it different from others. I will forever cherish the days we shared together. Ngyazi ujabulile ukungbona (I know you are happy where you are),” she captioned her post.

Hungani Ndlovu, a South African actor and performer, has added DJing to his skill set.
This shift piqued the interest of internet users since Hungani is an actor, dancer, and now DJ, making him a jack of all crafts.

With an increase of South African celebrities launching new companies in order to generate numerous sources of revenue, some celebrities are unlucky.

He is not just a DJ but also a content developer alongside his wife, Stephanie Sandows. They run a YouTube channel titled Ndlovu Uncut, where they discuss their experiences with children, marriage, and everything in between.Hungani recently took to Instagram to showcase his DJing skills by posting pictures of him hitting the decks at a gig where he re-introduced himself as DJ Grizi with the caption, “They said, ‘We’ve got a celebrity DJ!’ And I got excited thinking I’m opening for someone else kanti they were talking about me.”

Instagram users took to the comment section to congratulate the actor on his new venture, saying, “I love how you literally fit and suit every cab you wear. Let’s put together a whole bash now.“You are the best at what you do Hungani! You embody Col 3:23 through and through.”

“Knowing how you dance, I believe BPM it’s on 190.”

“Hustling HARD, ” adding fire emojis which usually mean that it’s going to be lit.

It looks like the tables have turned as Dr Nandipha Magudumana, who was always lovey dovey with one of her co-accused and lover Thabo Bester, ignored him when she walked into the dock at the Free State High Court today. Bester, Dr Nandipha and seven other accused appeared at the Free State High Court today in the matter of Bester’s escape. Seated next to one of the accused Zanda Moyo, Bester kept grinding and smiling at Dr Nandipha as she walked in but the disgraced doctor walked by without looking at him and hugged her father who is also an accused in the matter. Dr Nandipha had claimed during her bid to be released that Bester forced her to go to Tanzania.Nandipha Magudumana, Thabo Bester’s putative accomplice in crime, has been accused of acting after photos of her reading her Bible in court went viral.

According to the “court of public opinion,” the famous doctor, who is accused of facilitating an escape, fraud, corruption, and violating bodies, has sought to appeal to the court’s sympathies.

Nandipha Magudumana and Thabo Bester appeared before the Free State High Court for the first time in 2024 on Wednesday, February 21.While court watchers expected a loving reunion between Bester and Magudumana, they were surprised with a cold response. The 35-year-old doctor totally avoided her putative lover, whom she is suspected of assisting escape jail in 2022.

Instead, she chose to read her Bible in silence.However, social media users were not impressed by the “act”…

@NativeOfMzantsi: “Nandipha Magudumana is reading the Bible while sitting in the dock. Why do thugs like pretending to be religious, though? Where’s the ‘spirit’ when they commit their evil deeds?”

@Naledi_LilStar: “Nandipha is reading a Bible in court! Which strategy is this one? Will it go to ‘remorse’? At mitigation of sentence? ‘She has found God?’”