Knife attack haunts Skeem Saam’s ‘Mapitsi’

Motlhatswi plays the role of Mapitsi Magongwa on Skeem Saam, a fast-growing soapie with about 5 million viewers a week. She told The Citizen she was attacked by an unknown woman who nearly stabbed her at an undisclosed township in Mpumalanga.

Although the incident happened in April last year, the 23-year-old star is still haunted by its horror, especially when she appears at public occasions.

She said her attacker, believed to be in her early 20s, pulled out a knife and charged at her while she was attending a public event as a guest.

Motlhatwsi said the woman accused her of breaking the heart of her former boyfriend in the soapie, Thabo “Tbose” Maputla, (played by Cornet Mamabolo).

“She took a picture with us but suddenly pulled out a knife and said she wanted to stab me,” said Motlhatswi. “I was really scared. Other people intervened and ordered her to leave.” Motlhatswi appealed to viewers to learn to distinguish between fiction and reality.

She said she did not lay a charge against the woman. Publicity manager for Skeem Saam Percy Vilakazi called on their actors to always be aware of their surroundings. – warren@citizen.co.za