Meet Sphelele Mzimela – a.k.a Kentucky

Sphelele Mzimela’s Isibaya character has one of the most amusing nicknames on TV right now… And we’ve always wondered what the reason behind the name is for this naïve rural girl on one of the most watched soapies in the country. 

Having grown up in the KwaZulu Natal countryside of Gingindlovu, she said her character has also made her realize the predicament marginalized women face on a daily basis. 

Mzimela – who began singing and dancing at age 10 – proudly holds two qualifications;  a National Diploma in drama which she got from The Durban University of technology back in 2012 and a Bachelor of Arts degree in television production from AFDA Academy (The South African School of Motion Picture medium and live performance) in 2015. She immediately begun working on Isibaya as soon as she secured her qualification.  

Though her inspirations stems from the entertainment industry as a whole, Mzimela states that it was the award-winning film, Yesterday starring Leleti Khumalo that inspired to go down the path she has.

“Watching that particular movie showed me the power actors and actresses have in describing something to a society, and I wanted to be part of that,” she said in a past interview with newspaper Sunday World.

Mzimela plans to make a name for herself across multiple platforms in the entertainment industry, including radio and modelling. 

Catch her on Isibaya, every weeknight on Mzansi Magic (DSTV channel 161) at 20h30pm.

Main image credit: instagram.com/sphemzimela/