Actress and singer Thembi Seete has described the late Thuli ‘Tjovoo’ Simelane as a ‘free-spirited person who was always happy and stress free’.

Simelane who starred alongside Seete in the local drama SABC 1 Zone 14 died in the early hours of Saturday morning at the Charlotte Maxeke Hospital.

Simelane played the role of ‘Tjovoo’ in the drama series and gained a lot of admiration from the audience for her character’s ‘no-nonsense but yet upbeat’ personality.

‘Tjovoo’ was also protective over her loved ones, a trait which Seete says the character had in common with the real life actress.

“She was a person who adored her kids very much and always spoke highly of them. She was also a very playful person who always brought laughter on set, Seete says.

According to the Sunday Sun, Simelane suffered from pericardial effusion, which is a fluid around the heart.

The actress had been battling heart problems for years and had been in hospital for four weeks prior to her death.

Simelane, a mother of four, will be buried in Meadowlands Zone 4, Soweto, on Saturday.

“I will miss the bond we had, as we spoke quite often and she would share some personal things with me, so we built a bond. I will miss the laughs we always had together,” says Seete.