Art seems to be mimicking TV actress Zinhle Ngwenya who plays the role of a prophetess on eTV telenova House of Zwide. She opens up about her messy divorce, being a sangoma in real life, healing people and casting spells on bad people.
ACCEPTING HER CALLING
A qualified Nursing Sister and Midwife, Ngwenya says it wasn't easy for her to accept her calling at first.
"Like any other young person, at first I was in denial and ashamed. Then when I started getting sick out of the blue, I knew it was something serious, but we had no clue what was happening to me," says Ngwenya. In denial, Ngwenya said she did her degree in nursing and went on with her studies at medical school where she was trained as a midwife. "I was still in denial until weird things started happening to me. "I'll prepare for a holiday trip, book my flight, and then out of nowhere, I'd be blind. After cancelling the trip, my eyesight would be restored,' she says.
She eventually ended up going to the initiation school (ukuthwasa) in Mozambique at a place called Mamboni where she went through the spiritual and herbal training.
?MESSY DIVORCE
Ngwenya, who was married to Zimbabwe and former Orlando Pirates striker Tendai Ndoro, says she had been accused of bewitching her former husband after their divorce. The former soccer player was followed by a string of misfortunes after their divorce. He lost his home, cars and money after playing in Asia after leaving Pirates. Many fingers pointed at Ngwenya for Ndoro's woes. She says she is not easily moved by rumours and people's opinions. She says her only focus was to raise her daughter. "My child has always been my priority and I'm not bitter. I don't misuse my powers to get back at people,' she adds.
GETTING INTO TROUBLE BECAUSE OF HER GIFT
Ngwenya has rubbed certain people the wrong way because of her spiritual gift. She recalls being kicked out of the church because she started prophesying in the house of the Lord.
"I remember one time I was chased away from church because I prophesied that the church leader had multiple partners in church. That became a big issue, " she says.
She says being a sangoma and beautiful can sometimes cause problems, because in people's point of view a sangoma should look dirty, scruffy and unkempt. "We are beautiful and we bathe. We slay, but at the end of the day, we have a special gift to carry out and respect the work of the ancestors. I'm a low key person and very private about my personal life.'
HEALING THE SICK
Ngwenya says her work speaks volume. She adds that she helps heal those who can't have kids, strengthening people's homes (ukubethela to cast away bad spells), restoring couples' broken relationships and helping women who are struggling with fertility issues.
Ngwenya says: "Look, I am not complaining that the festive season has been busy.
I have started putting together Imbiza for men who have erectile dysfunction, as well as bringing back stolen goods. I have good testimonies of people I have helped, and I am not bluffing.' Ngwenya brags that her products are sold as far as the UK. She now does consultations both on the phone and in person.
NO PLANS TO QUIT ACTING
Ngwenya says she has no plans of quitting acting, adding that so far she has been lucky that most of her roles co-exist with her spiritual work. "I am not sure I will call it luck, but so far my roles relate to what I do. I either play a medical doctor or a sangoma and that's what I do in real life. It comes natural and my fans are going to see more of me on the small screens, ' she adds.
