Born in Dannhauser, KwaZulu-Natal, as the fifth child of her parents, Ntombizodwa Sithole who is now a writer, poet, storyteller and voice over artist, came to Johannesburg in 2010 in search of a brighter future and could be finally headed there.
She started as a classroom assistant at Junior College, but unfortunately, the school closed down in 2019, leaving her unemployed with no source of income. However, because she was always a big dreamer, she told herself the grass was always greener on the other side, and so she continued hustling until she got a job at Alex FM.
“I came to Joburg to fulfil my dreams and there was no stopping me from doing that, and in 2016, I started reciting poems every Saturday at Alex FM on uQhakaza Ezethu.
“I did that after realising that our grandmothers no longer do storytelling like they used to in the olden days. Today we know our indigenous languages and values because of those stories that were told to us, especially when we were young,” Sithole said.
She wanted to also impart the values of life to the younger generation as it was done to her, and as Alex FM started noticing her talent, they gave her a platform to do storytelling from Monday to Friday at 9:05.
Her talent has gained her recognition as she will now appear on the big screens for the coming television series, Shaka iLembe, which is set for release on May 25, where she plays an extra as Omama baseLangeni.
“The love of art started back at home when I was inspired by the late journalist Can Themba and other writers whose books I used to read. I used to buy Drum magazine and hide it, hoping that one day I would become a journalist or an actor. I used to write poems and hide them under my mattress because I was shy about my craft.”
Every Friday she does storytelling to children at the 3rd Avenue Children’s Library. She is also a Zulu translator, and her highlight was when she translated a children’s book by Khanya.
In years to come, she wishes to travel the world with her art and see her work being celebrated all around the continent. She would also like to express her gratitude to everyone who supported her with her dreams, especially the community for always lending their ears to her radio recitals.
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