South African social media users are notorious for being trollers and spare no one when it comes to things they deem unacceptable. This week, former Generations: The Legacy star and DJ Thulisile “DJ Thuli P” Phongolo was at the receiving end of a thorough roasting after a video of her dancing in a provocative outfit was shared online.

 

 

This after rumours that she had gotten a Brazilian Buttlift (BBL) done recently.

Unfortunately for her, the new look did not get many hits and instead was critiqued by peeps who have don’t appear to appreciate her “doctor’s work”.

ALSO READ: ‘Disappointed in her’: Lerato Mvelase’s sheer SAFTA outfit stuns SA

THULI P’S ‘NEW BODY’ STILL GETTING CRITICISED
Former Generations The Legacy star Thuli Phongolo has for the second time this year, left South African social media users buzzing.

The first time happened when she pressed charges against her then boyfriend, famous DJ, Maphorisa. The matter set social media alight as they discussed gender-based violence and celeb relationship.

And now many are buzzing after new videos and photos of the star suggested that she had gone under the knife to achieve and even curvier posterior.

Thuli Phongolo takes hilarious jabs at Ex-Boyfriend DJ Maphorisa in Viral Video
Thuli Phongolo’s alleged is failing to impress. Image by thuliphongolo/Instagram
While some have been left instantly in love, others are not so impressed with this “new and improved” Thuli.

A video of her dancing while behind the deck has recently gone viral as X users discuss how unnatural her curves appear.

South African gospel singer Ntokozo Mbambo trended over the weekend after she was dragged into fellow musician Kelly Khumalo’s SAMA drama. Ntokozo won the award for Female Artist of the Year but was blasted by Kelly who was also nominated for the award. According to Kelly in a series of shocking tweets, she should’ve won the award.

 

 

Ignoring the now viral rant, Ntokozo sat down for an interview with eNCA and credited God for the win.NTOKOZO MAMBO THANKS GOD FOR SAMA WIN, IGNORES KELLY KHUMALO
SA singer Kelly Khumalo shocked social media users after going on a bizarre rant following her South African Music Awards loss.

The star who was nominated for Female Artist of the Year lost the award to gospel sensation Ntokozo Mbambo.Shortly after her win, Ntokozo sat down with eNCA to discuss everything — except Kelly’s rant.

During the interview, she graciously thanked God for her victory:

“Scripture says that he is faithful even when we are faithless and that’s exactly what happened this past weekend,” she said.

Watch the interview below:Many have applauded her for her patience regarding the Kelly Khumalo situation. They have also expressed their support for her in various tweets as well as beautiful congratulatory messages.

“Congratulation mama. Your contribution to the body over the years it is something to shout about. We celebrate you ma,” one person said while another wrote:

“I have always been convinced that you sing because you have a reletionship with God. Congratulations.”

Media personality Xolani Khumalo’s charges are piling up.

The former host of Moja Love’s show, Sizok’thola, appeared at the Palm Ridge Magistrate’s Court on Tuesday 21 .

The charges relate to the death of named Robert “Kicks” Varrie who had been the subject of bust at his Katlehong home on 19 July, which was attended by the Sizok’thola crew.The Citizen reported that Khumalo addressed a crowd of supporters outside the court.

 

“Thank you for leaving your homes to come here. I truly appreciate it,” he said.

He also revealed that he will not and has not stopped fighting crime.

“The guys and I are going to rest because tomorrow we are going to Hillbrow to work. No matter what they try, we will continue to fight for a safe South Africa. They are trying to hinder our work, but they won’t win.”

MOJA LOVE CONTRACT TERMINATION
Earlier this month, Moja Love announced that it had terminated its relationship with Khumalo.

The DStv channel said in a statement that it had raising concerns and questioned him “about his knowledge and involvement in the unlawful incidents that led to the possible contamination of crime scenes, failed prosecutions of known drug lords and unfortunate tragedies that followed the filming of certain episodes.”

The statement further read: “The channel also demanded answers regarding the identities of the beneficiaries of his foundation – the Xolani Khumalo Foundation, which he launched off the back of Sizok’thola’s success despite the blatant conflict of interest it created between him and the show.”

Hitting back, Khumalo said he found out through the media that Moja Love had dumped him.

“Xolani Khumalo and the foundation was under the impression that negotiations were ongoing with both the company and the channel. Regrettably, Xolani Khumalo had been unable to contact the company’s representatives for any comments or further discussions.”

ALSO READ: ‘Sizok’thola’ host Xolani Khumalo says Moja Love didn’t inform him about the termination

WORKING WITH THE CITY OF JOBURG
After being fired by Moja Love, Khumalo – through his foundation – joined forces with the City of Johannesburg in fighting crime in the metropolitan municipality.

Mgcini Tshwaku, who is the City of Johannesburg’s Public Safety MMC, launched the Johannesburg Metropolitan Police Department (JMPD)’s tactical reaction unit and the crime prevention and combating unit to assist police in fighting drugs crime and human trafficking this month.

Young talents usually go on to be mega stars in various avenues of the arts.

From Leleti Khumalo to Nasty C, a young person with the gifts to become a force in the entertainment industry usually comes from them being afforded the chance to have their talents polished and honed from an early age.

 

 

 

 

 

A few South African TV productions have demonstrated their ability to do this by roping in young actor Zekhethelo Zondi.

Zekhethelo has been on a few productions, namely Isifiso, Collision and Shadow. At present she portrays the role of Nqobile on e. TV’s long running soap opera Scandal!

As Nqobile Mdletshe, she is a 12-year-old orphan who is being raised by an older sister who was formally a sex worker. Her brother, portrayed by Siyabonga Gcwensa as Mbuso, served time in juvenile prison. Despite her challenging background, Nqobile has big dreams and aspires to be a pilot one day, and she is very good at math and science.

“She is very sweet and innocent until you speak ill of her brother or sister. All hell breaks loose,” Zekhethelo explains.

Read more | A fresh dramatic twist to hit the screens on Scandal!

“It is a blessing, many actors wish to be part of such a popular and successful show, however the Almighty gave me an opportunity and privilege to work with a great and talented team,” the 13-year-old actor says.

Zekhethelo claims to have always had a passion for acting even from when she was younger than she is now.

“I have always been an actress from a young age, judging from the videos my mom has of me singing and impersonating characters that I saw on TV. My mom natured my talent by taking us to theater to watch live shows and sometimes took me and my brother to set with her as she is also a freelance actress.“

At the tender age of six, her mother took Zekhethelo to be registered at the Mehlareng Professional Actors and Performers Agency and she has been with the agency for seven years now.

The young actor speaks with the poise of someone with wisdom way beyond her years.

“Being on set is bittersweet, like any other working environment, but I’m certainly enjoying myself and learning a lot from other actors. On my first day I was very nervous, and I felt like I couldn’t breathe, but luckily my mom was there every step of the way and it really helped, a lot,” she explains calmly.

Her favourite character on Scandal! is the role played by veteran actor Melusi Mbele, “who portrays Jojo Kubheka. He is friendly, very respectful to everyone at work, and I love and enjoy doing scenes with him because he is very funny and young at heart.”

There is a long list of powerhouse women whom the youngster looks up to and this includes Zendaya, Nomzamo Mbatha, Ntando Ncube and Thuso Mbedu.

“I aspire to be like them one day in terms of being young, black and successful in all the spheres. I also love how they embody their characters when performing. They deliver and I believe them in each scene.”

Just as we have seen many young talents go on to dominate in their lanes, we have also seen a few stars flame out, disappearing into the oblivion of obscurity, which is something Zekhethelo keeps in mind.

“Being a kid actor comes with lot of advantages and disadvantages, specifically on set. You come across adults who come from different backgrounds and walks of life with energies that are good and sometimes very bad.

“I constantly have to remind myself that I auditioned and got the role not by mistake and that my dream is valid. And the assumption that when someone appears on TV is wealthy can be very challenging too. The support I get from my family and friends is immense. My faith in God keeps me sane.”

Read more | Choose actors over influencers and models – Jerry Mofokeng wa Makhetha stands by his SAFTA’s speech

Her career is still very much in its infancy, but she already has a role she considers a standout or at the very least a role she enjoyed playing the most.

“My favorite character that I portrayed is definitely Nozi Gambu on Isifiso season one and two.”

The plan is to keep building on this early success and the next few years will be key to ensuring her growth in front of the camera.

“I’m hoping to perfect my craft and be able to perform on big Hollywood stages, with God’s help I can be the next Nomzamo Mbatha. But I also want to achieve and be successful academically. For me acting is about telling stories and I love and enjoy doing it. When I’m preparing for a role, I firstly analyze the script then I will identify the character’s personality, habits, behaviour and how she thinks then I will tap into my own creativity to bring the character to life.”

Catch Zekhethelo on Scandal! weekdays on e.TV at 8:30pm.

He was once considered one of the bad boys of the entertainment industry.

He played the role of a rebellious kasi tsotsi Bash who was always getting up to no good on the e-tv show Rhythm City. Even in real life people believed he was a bad boy.

 

 
Before that he was best known for hosting the dance show Jam Alley and his role as Zamani Khoza on Generations and a DJ on SABC 1 drama Tsha Tsha.

But former child star and YO-tv Presenter Siphiwe Mtshali says he was never a bad boy to begin with, and never did half of the things Bash could pull off. “The industry always perceived me to be a bad boy because of the characters I played. They were always rebellious, bad boys and when I did anything wrong or made a mistake on the outside world I was seen as playing my character in real life. But that’s far from who I am.”

Siphiwe says he has always been a responsible husband and family guy who puts family first. He and his wife Charmaine Mtshali this year celebrate 14 years of marriage with their five children.

“I am a dad, a family guy, and a grounded person,” he says.

“Yes I have made a few mistakes, but I am human, it has not been anything outside of the ordinary. For me, my family always comes first and that’s all that matters,” he says.“My oldest is 15, my youngest is 10 years old. They are demanding. They don’t want to be known as Bash’s kids, they want you to be removed on social media and just live their own lives.”

Siphiwe wouldn’t disagree if his kids wanted to be actors and entertainers.

“I would advise against it, but I would want them to do what makes them happy.”

In the past, he has made a few bad decisions, but he learned from them and moved on.

“I am lucky my wife stuck by me. There were times when I was worried that she would leave, but she stuck with me through the tough times. Even when I was auditioning for work and not making it, she stuck around and was supportive,’ he says.

“She is truly my best friend and we are inseparable, we do everything together.”

Siphiwe and Charmaine run their production company Izigi Media and Entertainment and this year they worked on a show called Vanishing Cultures.

“She is a director and I’m the producer, we work on our productions. This year we did Vanishing Cultures which dealt with topics like polyandry – where a woman has more than one husband, as well as polygamy and being a gay man in South Africa. We had different opinions from people from 40 different countries and the show was very successful. It showed on DSTV channel 500 and in one of the shows we had Jammie Bartlett, and Connie Chiume.”

Read more l 20 years after Nkosi Johnson’s death – are we winning the war against HIV on this World Aids Day?

This year has not been easy for many actors who struggled to find work including Siphiwe. His last big role on television was that of Bones in Isono, who has a child at the local orphanage and is very shady.

“Bones was sneaky gangster, but he was very interesting. He was an older version of Bash basically, a hustler and just a street character. I gave him a bigger belly and made him different from Bash. I portrayed him until he was killed,” Siphiwe says.

He also shot the film called Amanzi in Bloemfontein where he played a hobo who was always on a quest to find himself.

“I enjoyed playing him because he was such a spiritual guy and I am a spiritual person too,” he says.

“I believe in the higher power. I have a special calling with dreams but this is nothing official, I have never gone to thwasa, but I know what I know. I have a strong and special instinct and it’s not normal and I pray a lot,” he says.

Read more l Connie Ferguson remembers Shona on their 20th wedding anniversary – ‘Today I am not ok’

In August this year, Siphiwe lost his dad to old age-related illnesses.

“My dad was a prophet, and I think that’s where I got my special gift,” he says.

“My dad was ill then he went blind first before passing on. But when he was still ill, he asked us not to pray for him to live longer but for God to open the gates of heaven and welcome him because he has lived a full and good life.”

This year has not been easy for Siphiwe and other actors. After leaving Isono, Siphiwe has been hustling. Since his last production, he has been at home figuring out his next move, while being a father.

“Being a dad is also a full-time job and being at home has helped me to spend more time with my kids. But I am looking into my next project,” he says.

Siphiwe is working towards building a legacy for his family and children through his own production company.

“I have been hustling since. I know how to take care of my family even when I’m not appearing on TV. I have to hustle.”

Siphiwe says he can’t only rely on being cast for roles to make a living.

“I am tired of looking for jobs. I want to create jobs for myself and others. I don’t want to rely on auditions all my life. I don’t have a six-pack. I don’t have Instagram and Twitter followers and that is what is needed these days,” he says.