Can we take the time to discuss the brilliance that is Moshidi Motshwega. She is one of the highly respected and most influential actresses in South Africa. With more than 17 years in the industry, Moshidi has had her work recognized not only locally, but internationally as well.
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Moshidi is internationally known for playing Florence Nxumalo in the 2004 feature film Drum alongside Taye Diggs.
Pic cred: hot secretz.blogspot.com Moshidi is one actress that is very private when it comes to her life and because not much information is out in the public about her, that will not stop her from receiving the credit that she deserves.
Motshwega once revealed thatas much as she loves the craft of acting she feels like she doesn't fit into the entertainment industry. But she surely has captured our attention every time she appears on our screens.
Here's a look at Moshidi's life and how she became such a great actress.
Moshidi Motshwega Age
The exact day and month that the award winning actress was born on are not public information, but it is known that the actress was born in 1977. As of 2020, Moshidi is 43 years old.
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Moshidi Motshwega Family
In 2017, just three months before getting her role on The River, Moshidi's father passed away. In an interview with Drum Magazine she said that her father was sick and only had one lung that was still functioning.
Moshidi Motshwega Education
Growing up, Moshidi was a straight 'A' student who was determined to do well at school all the time. Born to strict parents, whom one was a principal, Moshidi knew that more would be expected from her when it came to her grades in school. Especially after receiving a bursary.
Moshidi Motshwega Career
Moshidi has appeared in so many films and movies and has had her talent recognised internationally too. In 2008 she was said to have voiced the role of Miriam in an animated television series called Speedy, based on the comic strip by cartoonist Tim Mostert which appears in the South African tabloid The Daily Sun.
She played the leading role of Uhuru Mokoena, the daughter of a wealthy Xhosa doctor who has post-traumatic stress disorder following a hijacking – in the SABC2 mini-series Noah’s Ark, from July to August, 2008.
Rhythm City
Her role on Rhythm City as Naomi the villain, she says was one of the biggest roles she ever landed on TV. She felt that the role was bigger than her, and she had to find a way of embracing her.
She single-handedly raised the show's profile with her crazy attitude and hilarious one-liners. Naomi had us rolling on the floor with laughter whenever she switched to her Tsotsi-taal phrases. Whenever she said "Oho, Jerusalema" or "Ma thousand", you knew Naomi was ready to spew fire to whoever stood in her way.
Pic cred: YouTube (eTV)
Pic cred: YouTube (eTV)
Moshidi also got an award for the brilliant work that she displayed on Rhythm City.
The River
After five years of being off-screen, Moshidi landed a role back on The River airing on Mzansi Magic. As one of The River cast members, she played the role of Malefu who lost her husband to the cold hands of death, and as a result, she went through several struggles including dealing with a criminal son, Cobra played by Presley Chweneyagae.
She did reveal during an interview that landing this role on The River of a grieving wife, it helped her grieve the loss of her father. Moshidi went on to add that her role allowed her to gain perspective of how her mother dealt with the loss of her father.
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After displaying her impeccable talent on The River, showing us that she is a no nonsense woman and what she says goes, viewers had to say goodbye to her last year. This was said to be because of the strained relationship that she had with one of the cast members, Larona Moagi, who plays her on-screen daughter, Tumi.
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Even on screen the two had a strained relationship, as Tumi wasn't Malefu's biological daughter. One could easily tell from the way Malefu treated her; she never took her side on anything.
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Here are some of the shows that Moshidi has appeared on:
TV Shows
Friends Indeed Gaabo Motho Flat 27 Generations Justice For All Joburg Blues Behind the Badge Ke Nnako SOS Hillside The Lab Jozi H ER Mandela and De Klerk
Awards
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2006 - Golden Horn Award for Best Actress in a Lead Role in a TV Drama for Zero Tolerance. 2011 - Golden Horn Award for Best Actress in a TV Soap for Rhythm City. 2019 - Golden Horn Award for Best Actress in a Telenovela; The River.
Moshidi Motshwega Controversy
The entertainment industry is definitely not meant for the weak. One needs to have a strong back bone because there's someone that is always watching you. Television producers and heads of channels are always masquerading as gatekeepers and it's not as easy to break into the industry.
"It was very difficult to work with Larona. We can't cast people from Instagram, give them a huge role and not give them support. Moshidi continued to add:''I even said at the meeting(with producers) that Larona is struggling because she is not an actress and has been given a huge role to play. This is a craft. It is a skill.''
Apparently the off screen drama got so bad to the point of Larona's parents who wanted to come to the Tshedza headquarters and confront Moshidi.
In this industry there creatives will always have differences on issues that arise, but it's unfortunate when they get to the stage of causing so much tension between cast members.
Pic cred: zalebs.com Motshegwa is a focused and brave-at-heart woman who never allows any circumstance to shake or take her off-track. We hope to keep seeing more of her craft on our screens.
