Setting The Record Straight

Actress Brenda Ngxoli talks about quitting showbiz, finding peace in the Eastern Cape and what brought her back

- Khosi Biyela

SHE thought she was done with showbiz. There were reports Brenda Ngxoli packed her bags and headed home because like many actors, she was unhappy with the cutthroat industry. Others said she was broke. But when we speak to the actress about why she took such a long break, she sets the record straight.

She’d been thinking about leaving for a while, she tells DRUM. “It’s funny seeing those stories about me as I didn’t leave because I didn’t have money, or because I was angry with the industry.

“I didn’t leave because of an alcohol or drug problem. I followed my heart for my own physical and spiritual growth.”

Though the 39-year-old stepped out of the spotlight for a while – seven years to be exact – Brenda quickly got back into the swing of things. She’s been sizzling up screens in Mzansi Magic’s Ithemba.

“I didn’t sleep for this role or bribe anyone, and I don’t judge people who do, but I always audition for my roles,” she jokes.

Brenda plays Nomonde, a woman who is abducted by a cult operating on the land her late mother owned and left in her name. The cult members want her to give them the land.

“The storyline is about the unspoken world of dark forces and light; it’s not comedy-driven. It also came at a time when spirituality is at the top of my mind. For the first time I’m doing something because I want to. It’s everything I’ve learnt about spirituality.”

The award-winning actress doesn’t shake hands or hug anyone who greets her, we notice. Instead, she claps twice and says “Camagu” as a nod to her ancestors. “Yes, I went through the sangoma initiation process called ukuthwasa,” Brenda says.