Nomzamo Mbatha on how Isibaya changed her life: I should put Thandeka on my ID

While Nomzamo Mbatha has proven that she's a force to be reckoned with, she knows she owes a lot to her Isibaya character Thandeka Zungu, a phenomenal woman who helped cement Nomzamo's name in the art history books.

Speaking to TshisaLIVE recently, Nomzamo shared just how much Thandeka touched her, taught her and changed her life for the better.

As an actress, there's no denying that your role on Isibaya has become a household name, in retrospect, did you think Thandeka would have this effect on people?

Not at all! But I remember knowing that as an actress I had the responsibility to portray a young, black, woman in the most authentic way possible and the kind of conversations I wanted her to challenge in today’s society.

She’s been my saving grace and literally, I clearly need to add her name on my ID!

There has also been many storylines that Thandeka has lived through that had a huge impact on the viewers, is there one storyline that was particularly difficult for you as an actor or one that touched you the most?

I know the one that truly made an impact was when her husband, Sbu, wanted a second wife and made another woman pregnant. Infidelity is always a strong and continuous conversation among women and men and I was being stopped everywhere by couples, by men, by women... I received emails from people telling their story. It was huge.

You recently co-directed a microfilm, will we see more of that in the future?

The experience was amazing! Working with world-class actors such as Zola Nombona and Sdumo Mtshali, who made me fall in love with the experience. I definitely want to direct more. I loved it! And it’s sitting close to 2 million views on YouTube.

Another episode that has ranked up due to a lot of views is this one below, where Thandeka asks Sbu for a divorce.