Despite once dealing with crippling self-doubt, Pamela Nomvete said that she found solace in the way her Generations character Ntsiki affected fans, which helped her realise she was worth something.
Pamela opened up about her struggles after leaving the cast of the show to Trending SA panel on Tuesday, including how she was left homeless and living out of her car, and said that seeing the response to her character made her feel like she had contributed to the industry.
"I really appreciate it because having come back and seen this (the response from fans), you sort of think 'Oh, you did contribute something'. The most heartening thing about it is belonging somewhere," she said.
She said that she didn't recognise her impact earlier because she was "under a cloud" but now realised her character helped her find purpose.
"Growing up in the industry in the UK, black actresses didn't exist. So you are carving that up for yourself and you are going 'I exist!' but you are invisible. You get here and you see that I exist," she said.
Pamela has become a firm fan favourite among TV audiences again after taking up a role on Mzansi Magic's drama series Lockdown.
Speaking to TshisaLIVE, Pamela said she had to take a break from acting in South Africa to re-evaluate her relationship with the country.
"I never stopped acting. I just gave acting on South African screens a rest. I needed to re-evaluate my life and my relationship with this country. Being in this show (Lockdown) at this time couldn't be more perfect," she explained.
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