TV presenter Nomalanga Shozi has returned to her first love of acting with the new dramedy Roomies.

The 28-year-old star from Port Shepstone in KwaZulu-Natal was first introduced to television viewers as Nomalanga Mkhize in 2016 on the canned daily drama Rhythm City.

However, in the last three years, her main focus has been on presenting BET Africa’s entertainment news segment BET Breaks and being a new mom. She has now ended her acting hiatus with the role of Tsholo in the 13-episode 1Magic show airing on Thursday night.

"Getting back to acting is just divine timing. During Covid-19, I took the backseat because we were doing things from home but I knew that this moment was going to happen hence I didn't want to put too much pressure on myself because I was also doing a drive-time show on Gagasi FM as well as BET Breaks," she shares.

"The year before we went under lockdown, I had been doing so much stuff with BET, from travelling the world to presenting on red carpets... but my heart has always known that I had to go back to acting." 

In the new show, Shozi is joined by an ensemble cast of Felicia Mlangeni, Unathi Mkhize, Mbasa Msongelo, Ishmauel Songo, Zola Nombona, Siphiwe Mtshali and Zama Ngcobo.

"I also feel like I am in way better shape [physically and mentally] than I was before I had my baby, hence I want to fully immerse myself in this craft," she adds. 

The media personality said it wasn't easy to get back on the horse. 

"You'd get callbacks and the producers would be like, 'Oh my God, we really like you' but then three months later you see that they are done shooting and the production is on air but you're not a part of it... that to be honest kind of stings and hurts," Shozi says. 

"Such a situation leaves you questioning yourself whether you suck or lost that spunk that they're looking for. This is why I chose to do a lot of workshops just to hone my acting skills – this way I can find my feet again." 

She plays a teacher by day and an influencer by night in the show. The character's choice of making another income digitally has led to a lot of people around her asking questions about what she really does for a living with rumours of prostitution and adult content surrounding Tsholo.

"I am nervous, I haven't been on screen in a long time but I know people are going to love and enjoy Tsholo. She's the girl that women will love because she is a go-getter and her story is very relatable," Shozi explains. 

"Tsholo and her mom buttheads a lot and she ends up moving out and moving into this commune with a group of guys who have mixed feelings about her living with them. This is because of what she does on the side besides teaching.

"Since Tsholo has all this money and buys expensive stuff, her roommates become skeptical of her but as the episodes proceed. Most of those questions are answered as to what she really does." 

Shozi acted on Rhythm City alongside titans such as the late Jamie Bartlett, Mduduzi Mabaso, Connie Chiume and Pam Andrews. She describes that experience as "one for the books as I got to work with legends in the game quite early in my acting career". 

She also appeared in MTV Shuga Alone Together and appeared risqué 2019 film Love Lives Here alongside Thando Thabethe, Lungile Radu, Nombona, Andile Gumbi and Motlatsi Mafatshe.