The Sunday News
Leonard Ncube
A LOCAL movie star who featured as the main actress in the first Nambya movie — Shetani — which was done in South Africa last year and became a hit in predominantly Nambya speaking communities of Hwange, Dete and Victoria Falls received a rousing welcome from fans when she embarked on a meet the fans tour.
Shetani is a Nambya term which means to suffer.
The movie, whose cast consists of locals from Hwange was released last year in South Africa and has been shown on DStv Mzansi Magic stations.
Sunday Leisure caught up with the main actress Treener Ndhlovu in Victoria Falls where she is on a tour to meet fans. She has been to Bulawayo and Hwange and is now revelling on “crazy” fans who mob her each time they meet her on the streets, in shops and even at home.
“I am here to meet fans. Directors of the movie came home recently and said people wanted to meet the character Shetani. I was in Hwange, Bulawayo and I am here now. It is awesome I should say.
“In Hwange some friends organised a party where fans came some from rural areas to meet me. They even took me to a funeral of an old woman who they said kept on requesting to meet me, unfortunately she died the night I was going to Hwange. At the burial people went crazy when I was introduced.
“I am staying with a friend here and some fans took me around for a cruise, helicopter flights and other activities. I want to appreciate what fans are doing and how they are supporting me. It is really emotional and touching,” she said.
Ndhlovu started professional acting in 2013 when she met Nambya friends in South Africa.
“Real acting started in November 2013. I was in church when I received a call from a friend Kalani and his wife Philomina who wanted to come to my place to sleep over. We started talking about a Nambya drama Ndayeya Kusha (I miss home) which is the first ever drama to be done in Nambya.
“We met the director of Ndayeya Kusha, Sydney Wachimwa and I was surprised that he and his cast were people I knew from home. We were given roles and I was made Shetani the main actor. At first I was nervous but everything started falling into place. They loved my acting and we made the movie. Things were difficult because there was no sponsor and we had to depend on the little savings from our jobs,” she said.
Born at Mpilo Central Hospital in Bulawayo 42 years ago, Ndhlovu said she didn’t know she would one day be a real actress.
She went to Sacred Heart Mission in Jambezi for primary education and Ihlathi High School in Bulawayo for her secondary education. It was at Sacred Heart where she started showing signs of being an actress, she remembers.
“I used to act at school and I remember when I was in Grade Five we had a big day at school where I acted an interesting role. My teacher Graemer Dube came to me and said mntanami you are a good actor. I was happy to be noticed and commented on by one of the teachers and realised he was sincere about my acting capabilities. He gave me some books as a prize and told me to pursue acting as a career. He is one person I want to see. I am told he is here in Victoria Falls,” said Ndhlovu.
“I got married to the late Joseph Nyathi in 1991 and we had a son Gerald who now has his own baby and am proud because I am now a grandmother. I also have a daughter Vanessa.
“My parents separated when I was only five and I grew up with grandparents in Jambezi and later moved to Sizinda in Bulawayo,” she said.
She said she owed her success to her late mother Ruth Hadebe, father and members of the AFM Living Word Church because of the support they rendered to her in her life and career.
“At church they now call me Shetani. Initially I was afraid my father would not be happy seeing me acting. I am still a child to him and before I started acting I went and literally begged him to allow me to play this role and he agreed,” said Ndhlovu, adding that at school she was nicknamed “dumb bells” because she used to lead the dumb bells team.
Shetani the movie was released last year in August and marketed in Hwange, Dete and Victoria Falls — the predominantly Nambya areas.
“People went crazy to the extent that there were stickers on kombis. Even in Gweru and Masvingo people loved it. Our biggest challenge is piracy but we wish Shetani could be shown on the national broadcaster — ZBC so that the whole country gets to know and appreciate that there are Nambyans in this country. We are not doing this for Nambyans or Tongas only but for the whole country. It is a celebration of our cultural diversity,” Ndhlovu said.
She says they are working on two movies that are set for release this year.
“We are working on two movies — Nsimbi meaning girl and Kwejani meaning to try. They are due for release by mid-year. We have done some of the scenes and this time I am not the main actor because everyone has to get leading roles,” she said.
In South Africa Ndhlovu was working as a nurse at a private psychiatric clinic in Johannesburg until January this year when the premises were robbed at night and her bosses suspected she was behind the attack.
She, however, successfully challenged the sacking in court where her former employers were ordered to compensate her.
