As we’ve all come to know by now, Sophie Ndaba is currently embroiled in a heated protest against the producers of Generations, a battle she’s fighting alongside 16 fellow cast members whose contracts with the show were controversially all cancelled by producers, and she during a recent press conference said they aren’t sabotaging “something we love so much, but what’s wrong is wrong and what’s right is right”.
Move! Magazine spoke to Sophie prior to the controversial mass dismissal, but the statements she made during this interview seem strangely applicable to the situation she currently finds herself in.
She said: “I’ve learned that it is experienced that makes it possible to make the right choices. Sometimes you have to say no to your friends, no to your family, no to your children and no to work. You have to find a balance, and its okay to say no sometimes.”
The actress, who has been playing the role of feisty Queen Moroka in Generations for some twenty years, also said she has throughout her life learned that love and acceptance of oneself is vitally important.
“It is important to love yourself first, before anyone else; you need to practice self-love before you can accept love from anyone else,” she told the magazine.
“When you love yourself you can protect yourself and stand up for yourself. Self-love teaches you to say no to things that aren’t good for you and get out of situations, friendships and relationships that are toxic.”
Sophie also said that she has over time even learned to love her trademark curves, but only after trying many diets to drop the weight she gained after her son’s birth, before finally realising that it’s more important to focus on being healthy and active than skinny.
And while Sophie is herself an inspiration to women across SA, she said she admires strong women who have an impact.
“I look up to women like Oprah Winfrey and the late Maya Angelou because although they were famous and successful, they stand for much more than just glitz and glam. They are women who made a difference.” – Explained the actress