Lunga Mofokeng, who became a household name playing Andile Dikana in The River, has been open about staying afloat in a period of financial instability after the show ended in 2024.
Skeem Saam has finally given him a second chance playing Qhomane Tlali, aka Mr Q.
Mofokeng opens up to Sowetan about bouncing back.
How does it feel to be back?
I don’t think it feels like I ever left because of the impact from the old show. People still interacted with me as if I was on The River yesterday. Internally, though, there was a journey of discovering being out of work for the first time in a long time. The feeling is good, I’m excited to put my name again in households and be in storytelling because that’s what I love to do.
I was also surprised that producers that spotted talent on The River didn’t find a way to give actors another chance with other productions. So, for Skeem Saam to say, “We want you to come on board ... this is the character we have for you”, put me in a positive space.
Last year you opened up about the financial woes that come with auditions. How did you navigate that?
I never said I was “too broke to attend auditions”. I said, “Do people know how expensive auditions are?” You sit with R20,000 in your bank account, and your bills are mounting, you often contemplate what to spend it on. Sometimes you get more auditions than you can afford, especially commercials.
You have to calculate which ones are important and which ones feel like you. It’s also emotionally taxing because you gamble with your emotions, worrying that spending on one audition might affect your chance for another.
You wake up thinking, what if the big opportunity comes next week and I’ve spent too much on auditions this week? It can feel like a space of depression and uncertainty, questioning whether the industry will give you another chance.
What advice do you have for fellow actors facing setbacks?
People often say, “When it’s your time, it’s your time”, but you don’t understand it until you experience it. Being out of a job for almost three years was a learning curve, preparation for something great.
It’s like a gym session for what you are about to lift in the public world. I’d say to someone going through a setback to keep a positive mindset, surround yourself with supportive people, hold your head high and know that the breakthrough will come after you’ve put in the work.
After playing a queer character in The River, did you worry about typecasting?
I didn’t worry about being typecast because, fortunately for this role [in Skeem Saam], I got to select which one I wanted. Mr. Q is different, not aesthetically, though and much like Andile, he also comes from a well-off family and has a passion for education. But how he carries himself, his confidence and his maturity are totally different. He’s grounded, disciplined, kind of more mature…
