I'm Older And Wiser

Actress Winnie Ntshaba opens up about life lessons, why she still believes in marriage and why her mom is her rock.

- Ruwaydah Harris

SHE looks as if she hasn’t aged a day since she last graced our screens. And it’s no surprise she’s still called Khethiwe even though she said goodbye to the beloved Generations character three years ago. Mzansi just can’t let go of Khethiwe. “People still call me Khethiwe when they stop me in the street,” Bawinile “Winnie” Ntshaba says with a laugh.

“We’ve been through a lot, Khethiwe and I. She appeared on the scene as a naive girl with absolutely no pretence and people loved that about her.”

Even though she’s had cameo appearances on Mzansi Magic’s Isibaya and The Road, the legal drama series Sokhulu & Partners on SABC1 and Shuga on MTV, she still resonates with Khethiwe.

“I relate to this side of her, coming from rural Eshowe in KwaZulu-Natal. I believe in Ubuntu and doing onto others as you’d like done unto you. I come from a humble family and if I had to put on airs and graces my family would laugh at me!”

Fans are still coming to terms with Khethiwe’s sudden disappearance from their screens. In 2014 Winnie, along with 15 other cast members, was fired from the popular SABC1 soap because of a wage dispute.

But Winnie has some newfound perspective on the past. “Maybe we overreacted there. We all had our own dressing rooms – we were treated like stars. I had been there for 10 years and I became comfortable and took certain things for granted.

“I’ve realised the way things are done elsewhere is totally different. I’ve done outside shoots and it’s rough out there. But everything happens for a reason and I needed to evolve, to adjust and to learn how others are doing it.”

SHE’S accustomed to making headlines but recent ones haven’t been good. Winnie was linked to businessman Nico Matlala – but Winnie refutes any relationship.