Hanging out with Jeffery Sekele

The veteran actor has emerged as local TV’s go-to “grootman”, with roles such as Blade in Isibaya and Isaac in House of Zwide. 

Significance of heritage

• Keeping and maintaining the good practices I’ve learned from a young age is very important to me — this way I do not lose the essence of who I am.
• Heritage defines my identity and behaviour. It’s in my walk and my talk — my interactions with people reveal who I am and where I come from.
• The good- or bad-language etiquette translates to good or bad personality or character. It helps to know the laws of one’s language. Good language is good character. And bad language is bad character.

Celebrating my heritage

• I attend the annual military-style band performances called “di trupa” mostly celebrated in townships and villages. The ones I usually attend are in my hometown in Limpopo, Marble Hall, where female and male dance groups showcase their moves.
• I often visit my grandparents’ place and indulge in feasts and converse with elders and young ones on stories about our family history.

Being the best grootman

• Be authentic. Don’t follow the crowds and trends.
• Don’t forget to play and have fun. Be fun to be around. Life needs a good balance of fun and focus. All work and no play make for a dull life.
• Lead by example. It’s always a good thing to be a great example. Remember to do as you say and not the opposite.

Career highlight

• Securing my first job in 1998 as a puppeteer immediately after completing my three-year diploma in drama at Pretoria Technikon (now Tshwane University of Technology).
• Playing Nazareth in the world-acclaimed film Jerusalema in 2008 after a long list of cameo roles.
• Being a cast member of House of Zwide was a great feat for me, because I got to act with a stellar list of actors.

Getting into character

• I let the script guide me and my mind takes the form of the character that’s been given to me. The rest is my interpretation of how and what the role should morph into.
• I interrogate the role in the first-person narrative. I use the “I”, not the “he”. Who am I? Where do I come from? What’s my action or intent? What happened before?
• I don’t come with a pre-packaged performance; I react to my co-actor with whom I’m roleplaying.

Lessons for young actors

• Learning is a daily practice. Learn as much as you can. Get that acting book and extra classes, watch other people’s work, and just do anything to master your craft.
• Respect your colleagues. Be human every time you’re on set. We are all part of the same production and all in one mission to make the product look good.
• Don’t forget your roots and values amid the fame that comes with being a star or TV figure.