A story of forbidden love, of two clans who just couldn't get along enough to put their differences aside for the sake of love.
And not only that, she was also engaged to be married when she started falling for Bhuqa.
She was Zuziwe, the beautiful, intelligent woman who was already promised to another in Abakwazidenge. The show kept South Africans riveted in the 90s focused on Zuziwe, who was Bhuqa’a love interest. She was engaged to Ntabeni.
Amanda Quwe, who played the Hlubi maiden stuck between family and love, says the role was a such a big introduction for her into the industry.
“People loved Zuziwe and in real life I had to figure out if certain people loved Amanda or the idea of Zuziwe,” she tells Drum.
She is back on TV after a long absence. She plays Zodwa on SABC’s The Estate.
“When there was a recession in 2008, I saw the industry struggling and taking a plunge. I decided to go back home to the Western Cape in 2009. I got into construction where I was involved in the demolishing and rebuilding of municipal properties, we renovated a library among other things.
“My first diploma is in food technology, and I used that too. At some point I was doing catering, owned a fishery and a bakery. I was hustling hard,” she says.
Read more | Where are they now? Ebumnandini's Doc Shebeleza is still taking care of business
Amanda says she is the type of person to not wallow in situations when she finds herself in hard times, she pushes to the next best thing.
“Life makes you learn to do different things. I think I have always been business minded. When I think back to my childhood, I used to ask my mom to bake and sell baked goods at school to earn extra cash. Then I learnt how to relax and perm people’s hair, which I did until matric. Life has different seasons and I always find a way to respond to whatever season I am in. When I was catering, I would even deliver food 300km away because the reality is that you do not always have jobs lined up for you,” she says.
Amanda, 49, says her struggles with her skin in her early teens prompted her to be very health conscious.
“I had warts all over my face. I even used to try to get them to fall off. Eventually a cure was found, but I have since remained very aware of what I put on my face. I now say if I cannot put it in my mouth then it cannot go on my face. I live from nature. I have even made myself a lotion because I thought about the extra pressure my skin is going to be under now that I am back on TV and applying heavy make up daily.”
She returned to Joburg full time in 2016 but says even though she was out of the industry, she was still accepting industry jobs every now and again. She does series producing as well and among other productions, she was involved in season one of The Queen.
She has also worked on productions like Matatiele and Igazi. In 2020 she started doing auditions again and has recently been involved in shows like Umbuso, Lingashoni, Makoti and The Estate.
“I view the different roles as an escape from real life. Like a holiday because the roles are very different and I cannot bring any of the characteristics of one role to the other. One of them is a nurse, another is an older traditional lady and the other is one of those ladies that like things, so they cannot be played the same way.”
Her favourite role currently is Zodwa on The Estate.
“Oh I love Zodwa. She is a liberation movement on her own,” Amanda laughs.
“I find Zodwa to be quite empowering because she is not afraid to handle things the way they should.”
Read more | Where are they now – Joe Nina still driving fans Ding Dong with his music
She is currently line producing and working a lot behind the scenes.
Last year, she suffered a tragedy when her mother died while she was shooting on a wedding scene on The Estate. She was the physical manifestation of ‘the show must go on’.
“Mama had been sick. My dad and brother were with her in hospital, and I called to speak to her. I prayed and in my heart I knew she was going. I made an appointment to see her at the second coming of Christ. I hung up, shot a few scenes and when I called again, my brother said she was gone.”
Amanda did not even tell production what was happening at the time.
“My family has always dealt with death in this way. We do not allow it to change what we are doing at a particular time. I was shooting a wedding scene so I had to be all happy, my eyes were red and I could not stop the tears from streaming down my face. The poor makeup artist had a daunting task with my face that day.
“The truth is, even if I had been by her side like my father and brother, there was nothing I could have done to change or prevent her death. When I was shooting Abakwazidenge my grandfather died and I could not go to the funeral because of the hectic shooting schedule, my parents just said I could go to the tombstone unveiling.”
