Amid uncertainty, despair and gloom that hit SA in 2020 due to the Covid-19 outbreak, actor Fanele Ntuli got her big break.

Ntuli, who hah been itching for a break,  landed a role in telenovela Durban Gen.

The show, which will air its last episode in April, made its debut in October 2020 and Ntuli will forever be grateful for the opportunity to showcase her talent as Dr Thandekile Zondo.

For more than two years, she enjoyed playing the outspoken Dr Zondo and watched the character grow.

“When Covid-19 broke out, it felt like life sucks for all of us. It came to a standstill. In the middle of that I got a DM (direct message) to come and audition, and a week later, I got the role.

“It was a major shift and I was dealing with professionals. I was nervous about the whole situation. It was an interesting space and also getting into full-time acting meant that every day I am on set and have to know my lines.”

And just as Durban Gen wind up, Ntuli scored the Nomaswazi Magwaza on award-winning drama series Uzalo. She takes over the role that was previously played by Omuhle Gela.

Ntuli began shooting with Uzalo in 2022 and had to juggle two roles at different locations, which was taxing.

With Dr Zondo, she had to pull off a professional look and adopt a doctor’s etiquette.

On the Uzalo set, she had to learn to hold a gun as she portrayed a classy female thug.

At times she had to be on both sets on the same day.

“It’s only sinking now that I am on Uzalo. I had to figure out the storyline, and had little time to it. It was hectic having to shoot two shows. It was either a start at Uzalo set then go to Durban Gen, or start at Durban Gen and finished my day off at Uzalo.

“One-minute I am myself, the next minute I am Nomaswazi or Dr Zondo. At some point it felt like I was suffering from bipolar. I would struggle to get time to detox these characters and had to do justice to all of them.

“I remember when I had to do my first shoot. I got the script on a Friday.

“I was under pressure trying to understand the character while figuring mannerism. I just told myself that I will focus on bonding with the character while navigating the storyline. I was able to build a relationship with all characters.”

In the story, Nomaswazi is the daughter of a ruthless wolf in a sheep’s clothing woman known as Njinji, played by Thembi Nyandeni.

Since the family was introduced on the show, it has been nothing but a pain for Nkunzi. Nomaswazi is beautiful, smart and conniving, just like her mother.

Ntuli defines her as a highly intelligent woman who studied IT. She says currently, Nomaswazi is in a dark place and she might never come back again.

As the season continues this year, family dynamics will change for her, she shares.

“She is a crazy go-getter that defies logic to her detriment. She loves hard and she is willing to make herself uncomfortable just to seek validation. She is ruthless. She does not care, and I love that.”

Before getting into acting, Ntuli struggled to find what would work for her.

As much as she has loved acting from a young age, she ended up doing accounting at the University of Johannesburg, but she failed.

She went back home in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, and took a gap year and worked at a bank.

She later resigned to study drama at Oakfields College in Johannesburg.

“When I failed and took my gap year, my parents were stressing about my situation. I always loved acting and acted in church productions, but I was afraid of it.

“I was worried what other people would  say. It was a tug of war of emotions. Eventually, I had no choice, I had to dive in.”

bambalelep@sowetan.co.za