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Chief Azwindini

One of Muvhango’s veteran actors, Gabriel Temudzani,  says growing up without a television set in the house, he never thought he would be destined for the small screen.

But now he has kept people glued to the 20-year-old soapie for 17 years.

Born and raised in the modest village of Tshivhilidulu in the Nzhelele area in Venda, Temudzani reveals a life of scripts and cameras was not part of the plan.

Famous for his role as the polygamous chief Azwindini Mukwevho on the SABC2 soapie, the screen king says he was surprised when his teachers in high school told him he would make a good actor.

He auditioned for the role in 2000 at the Khoroni Hotel (former Venda Sun) in Thohoyandou, and described the experience as nerve-wracking and gruelling.

“You can imagine auditioning for a person who studied his Grade 12 in a rural area and seeing all these mega stars for the first time.”

But he didn’t let nerves get the better of him, and as a result clinched the role.

“It was not easy. It was a long journey that has come with fears and challenges.”

Among those challenges, he says, was being “star struck”.

“I was so scared. I saw people like Makalo Mofokeng, who used to play Tshepo Mokoena, and Marah Louw at the auditioning.”

He explains that being from Venda, his culture and traditions come in handy in portraying the village chief.

“Growing up in the villages gave me an idea of what traditional leadership was about, and relating to people on the ground gave me that deep sense of how things should be done,” he said.

But he was not shy to say that TV was a different ball game altogether because of all the technicalities.

Although he confesses his happiness at Mzansi’s third- most watched soapie, he would like to perform a role that would allow him to be like US actor Denzel Washington.

“I am still enjoying my role here, but generally speaking, roles that guy [Denzel] gets would kill it for me.”

Besides being a dominant chief on screen, Temudzani produces cash crops on his farm in Venda

– SundayWorld