Johannesburg - In just 19 months, seasoned actress Nolwazi Shange-Ngubeni had viewers at the edge of their seats every single evening while portraying the character of Mbali Kubeka on eTV’s Scandal.
And just as the character hit its pinnacle, the prolific actress bowed out of the soapie this past Wednesday on a high and described the journey as her “greatest joy”.
The 39-year-old was introduced to the soapie in July 2021, together with the Kubeka family, which comprises stars such as Fana Mokoena, Slindile Nodangala, Melusi Mbele, Sihle Ndaba and Robert Mpisi.
“Mbali was not your ordinary wife. She was extremely obsessed with her husband and would do anything to keep him. But the character had to come to an end,” said Ngubeni.
“It’s a matter of walking away and ending it on your own terms, or the audience will drive you out of sheer boredom. So I think it is very important to understand when it is the time to hang a character’s coat and bow out, and I really think we did it at the right time when people were still excited about the character and before it got too predictable because it can go that way,” she said.
The twist in the character’s demise came with Mbali getting shot and killed by her own mother, after weeks of her torturing her family, including her younger sister Winnie and ex-husband Jojo, who both share a child.
“Scandal is such a positive environment, and I genuinely had fun. I worked with an incredibly collaborative team where we can share ideas. For example, with the exit, I was very specific about how I wanted my hair to look, and it was done.
“The brief to all of us was straightforward, that ‘let’s end on a high’. That everyone involved in telling the story, including the rich production, should ‘not drop the ball’ just because a particular story is coming to an end,” she said.
And although fans were left shocked on Wednesday evening, Shange-Ngubeni’s journey had ended on November 21, giving her time off to prepare for her next journey.
A week after bowing out of Scandal, Ngubeni stepped into a new role as casting director for Mzansi Magic’s highly anticipated telenovela Umkhokha season two, while also acting in another production that is yet to be announced.
The actress started her casting director career on Intersexions, but fans were introduced to her 17 years ago when she was awarded a SAFTA for her role in a 2008 production of A Place Called Home. That win earned her a place on various television screens locally and abroad, including a 2011 drama film called Otelo Burning that subsequently earned her two nominations for Best Actress at the South African Film and Television Awards and at the Africa Magic Viewers’ Choice Awards (best actress in a feature film).
She has also acted in productions including Single Guyz, Nothing for Mahala, Mzali Wami while carrying out her profession as a casting director in productions such as The Chemo Club, Farewell Ella Bella, MTV Shuga, AboMama, Umlilo, and the multi-award winning soap opera Rhythm City.
“Although any ending of any chapter can bring about nervous anxiety for anyone, including myself, there’s always that quiet confidence of knowing that everything will be fine. I’ve known since June last year that my character was coming to an end, and that gave me enough time to prep, and it’s been a good time off,” she said.
Speaking about her years in the industry, she said: “The last few years in the industry have been cool. I genuinely have enjoyed it, especially because I am a firm believer that experiences are what you make of them. There are pros and cons everywhere, but the question is: what are your key takeaways?
“For me, I count it all joy and feel completely blessed to see the industry transition and still maintain a certain level of relevance and respect within the industry. That is something that I am incredibly grateful for,” she said.
And this is only the beginning, she said.
“I still feel there is so much work for me to do. There are still roles I still want to play, so much I want to do, I feel like I graduated last year because of the hunger and excitement that I still have,” she said.
The Star