Gugu Sibiya

Gugu Sibiya

In the popular soapie Generations Grace Mashaba provided viewers with a shocker when she gave Karabo Moroka a blinding slap on the face.

Yesterday a stranger, a a woman who is a great fan of Karabo's, avenged that slap. She smacked Grace good when she ran into her in a North West town.

Genevieve Howard, who plays Grace in the soapie, was on an SABC road show in a small, one-horse town called Swartkopfontein, about three kilometres from the Botswana border, when the incident happened.

The angry viewer rushed at Howard and warned her against ever again touching Karabo, played by Connie Ferguson. Before Howard could respond the viewer moved in for the kill.

Speaking from North West Howard said: "Yes, I got a hot klap in the face. I was so shocked I couldn't move.

"It was so totally unexpected because I was in an environment where everyone was complimenting me on my great portrayal of the character of Grace.

"Then two women with ample bossoms and much bigger than me, accosted me, demanding to know why I had klapped Karabo.

"I am still traumatised because people don't know how to separate reality from fiction.

"I am a normal person who breathes, bleeds and goes to the toilet like everybody else. I don't want to be attacked for my (tv drama) character."

She said she had since got bodyguards, mainly from actors on the road show.

Howard's character is already out of Generations and ends in the middle of November. The talented character is now opening a Body Talk practice which is all about energy healing.

"I will be lost to television viewers but I will be touching them on another level," Howard said. "For now it is about helping people heal themselves so that we can develop better communities."