POLOKWANE – Tshegofatso Mabutla (17), a gr. 12 Tom Naudé Technical High School learner has just returned from Cape Town, where she participated in the final round of the National Acting Competition for High School Learners.
“Cape Town is awesome and amazing. I did not have time to travel, except from the hotel to the school where the competition was held, but what I saw amazed me. I saw malls, the train station and best of all, Table Mountain,” said Tshegofatso.
The competition lasted for four days, with elimination taking place every day.
“In the finals, I was one of eight participants who were left in the competition. We had 11 minutes to do poems, monologues and to improvise. We had the use of any prop we needed,” she said.
Tshegofatso said they also had interviews with Bravo TV and auditions on the soapie, Binnelanders and RSG.
Her teacher, Annette Meiring, who travelled with her to Cape Town, said Tshegofatso’s performance was brilliant.
“To end up in the top eight out of 450 contestants is brilliant. I am very proud of her,” said Meiring.
What is next for her? Tshegofatso said she would be concentrating on the upcoming examinations while she waited to hear from the universities she applied to.
“This is not the end for me. I am going to take my drama further. I enjoy it a lot.”
The competition received a record 480 entries from around the country, from which 70 finalists were selected after auditions in March. They participated in the four knockout rounds. The top eight each had to present a programme of three solos on the final night.
