Actor and radio presenter Hope Mbhele is really living her dream and 2021 will go down as a year that changed her life completely.
Mbhele, who appears in Umkhokha on Mzansi Magic, is in awe every day because she has finally launched her film and TV career in style. The 25-year-old has been auditioning for a while without getting any acting gigs. Her perseverance paid off this year.
She will also have one more feather in her cap after she landed a role with Showmax in a film called Goodbye Gogo that features seasoned actor Thembi Mtshali-Jones.
In uMkhokha, Mbhele portrays the character of MaBusi in this hard-hitting drama series that trends every Sunday. The MaBusi role is the highlight of her TV acting career so far and she credits everything to her patience and drive. Instead of giving up while roles and hosting gigs were hard to come by, Mbhele focused on a Gagasi FM presenting job, started a sport podcast on YouTube and an online magazine.
“I never gave up when I was not getting those roles. I knew that it was not the time to get them. Quitting was not part of my vocab and instead I continued to work hard and prepare myself as an entertainer. I started a podcast to learn more about hosting a show and make sure I am ready when I finally get a TV hosting job. I was also MCing at different events around Durban,” she says.
“I knew that I wanted to be in the entertainment industry. I also finished my degree in business administration because I also wanted to understand more about the business side of things.”
The Mthwalume-born entertainer says 2021 was a year of change for her. She believes that she is living proof of the saying “never give up on your dreams”.
“I am living my dream and I am happy where I am right now. I always ask myself if this is really me. A lot of good things happened for me. I shot two movies and another one is [about to] come out. I have landed a hosting gig in a show that will be flighted this Friday on SABC1. This year has been good to me.”
MaBusi's character in Umkhokha is about a woman who recently qualified as a medical doctor and is in an arranged marriage with Sphamandla (played by NeyMaps Maphalala), a a church leader.
Mbhele says being part of the Umkhokha cast that is full of experienced actors such as Sthandiwe Msomi, Deli Malinga, Mbuso Khoza, and Sibonile Ngubane has been an amazing journey for her.
She defines MaBusi as a complicated person who at the moment has a lot on her plate having just got married to a church leader and is a medical doctor at the same time.
“For me to be part of the show is an absolute honour. I have been taken aback by how people have received the show and very supportive to me and the character. MaBusi is a loving character and she loves her family and that is why she became a doctor because she loves helping people. She is very stubborn.
“Based on last week’s episode, viewers can see that she has fallen in love with Sphamandla despite theirs being an arranged marriage. At first she was in denial and scared because she has never fallen in love before. She comes from a strict family. She is finding herself as a woman and all her responsibilities.”
On Gagasi FM, Mbhele hosts breakfast shows on Saturdays and Sundays. She says the past months have been hectic, balancing the acting and radio presenting.
The outspoken entrepreneur knew from a young age that she belonged to the entertainment industry because she was a forward child. As she grew up, she started learning towards her passion in the entertainment industry. She was hit by the radio bug at a young age, listening to her mother hosting a show on local radio in KwaZulu-Natal. By the time she was shadowing at Ukhozi FM as part of her school work while in grade 12, it was clear where she wanted to go. She got a chance to work at the station’s library and also at a drama department.
After completing matric, Mbhele had a chance to join Ukhozi FM, but instead she left for New York to explore life and the world. This is where she learnt the art of hustling because she knew if she had no job she was going to sleep on the streets of New York. Luckily, she landed a role in a Nigerian law firm where she worked before she returned home.
While studying, she landed a job at Gagasi FM as a social media person for an afternoon drive show that was hosted by DJ Naves and Sphectacula. From then she became a stand-in presenter for everyone who was not available to do their shows until she landed her own gig at the station. She also did short courses in acting and voice-overs.
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