It’s all lights, camera and action for Mpumalanga-born actress

From growing up on farms to living her dream as an actress in the city of gold and lights, this is indeed a dream coming true for the e.tv soap opera, Isitha – The Enemy actress. This is the story of the young, bold and beautiful actress, Silindile Simphiwe Mtsweni.

Being born and bred in Machadodorp did not deter Mtsweni’s dream of becoming one of Mzansi’s top actresses, as she used her upbringing and disadvantaged background as a motivational factor to work hard. Mtsweni plays the role of Makhosi in Isitha – The Enemy.

“I was raised by my granny, since my mother was always on the road due to her work. I grew up watching many TV shows and soap operas and was inspired by the likes of seasoned actresses such as Sophie Ndaba, Connie Ferguson, Sonia Mbele and many others. I knew from an early age that I was born to be behind the cameras. Acting has always been my first love,” said Mtsweni.

“From an early age, I would read stories to other children and have always been fascinated by radio and TV stories and shows. My granny used to call me ‘Mahlakaniphane’ because she was amazed by the level of my concentration when watching TV.’’

After completing her matric at Sikhulile Secondary School in Machadodorp, Mtsweni went to college to further her studies and this is where she started taking acting seriously. “It’s actually funny how it all started,” she laughed.

“I was doing my last year of college and my roommate gave me some money to travel to Johannesburg for auditions. “I took a huge risk, because we were preparing for our final examination and I used my rent money to cover my travel expenses to Johannesburg for the auditions. Fortunately I had a relative who lived there and offered me a place to stay,” said Mtsweni.

ALSO READ: Mhluzi teacher wants to make a difference by entering Mrs Grand South Africa

While attending the auditions for MTV’s Shuga Down South in Johannesburg, a crew from the SABC 1’s music and dance show, 1s and 2s came looking for dancers. “When I heard that I decided to go and audition. Luckily I was called back to be part of the show,” she recalled.

After this experience, Mtsweni never looked back as she went on and attended a number of auditions including for Felani and Hostel where she received callbacks, but never went through as she was in the middle of her school examinations. She also did a gig with ETV’s Scandal as a Shisanyama Slay queen extra.

After the outbreak of Covid-19, she took a short break and only made a return in 2021 during the South African Traditional Music Awards in Mpumalanga. In 2022 she was given a lead role in SABC 1’s Fooled by Love, portraying the character of Bobo.

She also had a stint in Gomora and featured in music videos. In January, she was part of Big Brother Titans.

ALSO READ: Nkomazi teacher wants to inspire kids to read through her book

“It is always an exciting and learning experience working with veteran and experienced actors and actresses. I want to take this opportunity and thank Mandla N for the opportunities he continues to provide to us up-and-coming actors and actresses. We get to share the scripts with our role models and I must say that they allow us to showcase our talents,” she said.

Mtsweni said this is only the beginning and she wants to conquer the world.