Winnie Ntshaba ready to celebrate actors keeping SA glued to their TVs at 6th Royalty Soapie Awards

It is exactly a day before Mzansi A-listers dust off their tuxedos and have that final fitting done before they grace the red carpet for the 6th Royalty Soapie Awards. 

Speaking to TshisaLIVE, founder Winnie Ntshaba said the awards are a way to encourage creatives to be at their best. 

“People who are in these shows put their best foot forward every day. These are daily dramas, meaning we shoot every day, so we don't want people to just do good when it is towards award season, but we want to encourage people to love their job every day.”

The awards are in their sixth year, and reflecting on that the seasoned actress said she has realised the industry is growing, something she is grateful for.

“When we started we had fewer shows and soapies but now we have more than 24 soapies and they are all looking forward to the awards. Some even email us and ask why are we are quiet because people are ready to submit. That has been encouraging for us, that even when we are struggling with raising funding there are people e behind us. I realised then that we are  changing lives.”

Winnie said she works with a team she started with in 2014 when the first the awards were launched. 

“What I love and appreciate about these guys is that they go all out with me. They believe so much in these awards. They put their effort and their 100%, knowing that we will get paid in the end. It is nice working with people who are not just chasing wages, but also believe in the vision, who are as much invested as I am in this. The team is like gold for me.”

There has been ongoing debate about the relevance of soapies focusing on similar story themes.

“We are reflecting what's going on in society through telling stories. If writers from House of Zwide and writers from Generations and Muvhango are all reflecting what's going on in society at that time, they decide to put it on paper. We are not just entertainers, we also have a responsibility to shape our society. We address the social ills we see. We have a social cohesion category, one of the special categories introduced two years ago that we give to a soapie that has a storyline that addresses such issues, be it drug abuse, gender-based violence,  xenophobia. You know all the social ills we are faced with. I wouldn't say soapies are irrelevant.

“The growth of soapies is something that needs to be applauded because people are getting employment. Some shows are coming to an end but  news ones are coming.”