'I panicked' - Nomzamo Mbatha says Covid-19 brought her biggest fears of not being able to return home

Actress Nomzamo Mbatha has opened up about her anxiety at learning she would not be able to return home to SA because of the coronavirus.

The US-based star told True Love magazine that it was one of her biggest fears realised and at first she panicked.

"My plan was to return to SA so I could be closer to my family, but Covid-19 travel restrictions have locked me out of my home country. This heightened one of my biggest fears: that of not being able to return home. I initially panicked, but my calm has returned. I am coping, though it has been scary”.

She said she was taking it one day at a time and was grateful to live in a neighbourhood where all essential stores are within reach.

The star moved to America last year after being cast in the highly-anticipated Coming to America sequel.

She will be joining a star-studded international cast, including the original cast of Eddie Murphy (Prince Akeem), James Earl Jones (King Jaffe Joffer) and Arsenio Hall (Semmi). New cast members include Jermaine Fowler, Wesley Snipes, Tracy Morgan, Leslie Jones, Kiki Layne, Rick Ross, Teyana Taylor and Garcelle Beauvais.

Besides battling isolation, Nomzamo also experienced a 3.8-magnitude earthquake that hit the View Park-Windsor Hills area of Los Angeles last month.

“I was actually walking from the hallway to the bathroom and I felt a tremble But then I quickly dismissed it and thought, 'damn girl why you walk so heavy' ... Kanti,” Nomzamo said of the experience.