Nambitha Mpumlwana reflects on fighting for black actors on 7de Laan

Veteran actress Nambitha Mpumlwana has reflected on a time when she found herself in hot water after she apparently stood up to 7de Laan bosses for black actors to have makeup that matches their skin tone.

Nambitha was part of the 7de Laan cast in its first season as Zandile over a decade ago, although her character has made many returns to the SABC 2 soapie over the years.

Taking to social media this week, the actress remembered how she "fought" for "black actors to have proper makeup".

"I brought in Iman Africa to show the difference it made on screen, and the confidence we had in our performances knowing we didn't look like ghosts," Nambitha wrote.

She claims she was made a "pariah" on set. She claimed that actors she was trying to fight for called her names and went behind her back to tell production that they had no problem with the "mismatched" makeup.

"I was alone! I was a pariah! A problem to management. Years later, an actor met me on another set and thanked me for standing up."

Nambitha is a strong advocate for the Performers Protection Amendment Bill (PPAB) taken to parliament late last year to address inequalities and grievances in the arts industry.

The ongoing struggle to see the PPAB become a reality has seen many actors like Nambitha take to social media to reflect on the long and tough the road they have had to walk in the industry over the years.

Former actress-turned-scriptwriter Portia Gumede added her experiences, telling her Twitter followers how there was a time when black actors were subjected to being taught how to pronounce English words on the set of the old Generations.