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Leonard Ncube  Victoria Falls Reporter
A NAMBYA movie, Shetani which was done in South Africa has become a hit in predominantly Nambya-speaking communities of Hwange, Dete and Victoria Falls. Shetani is a Nambya term meaning “to suffer.” The movie was released last year in South Africa and has been shown on DSTV Mzansi Magic stations.

Saturday Leisure caught up with the main actress Treener Ndhlovu in Victoria Falls where she is on a tour to meet fans. She has been to Bulawayo and Hwange and is now revelling on “crazy” fans who mob her each time they meet her on the streets, shops and even at home.

“I’m here to meet fans. Directors of the movie came home recently and said people wanted to meet the character Shetani. I was in Hwange, Bulawayo and now am here. It’s awesome I should say.

“In Hwange some friends organised a party where fans came some from rural areas to meet me. They even took me to a funeral of an old woman who they said kept requesting to meet me but unfortunately she died the night I was going to Hwange. At the burial people went crazy when I was introduced.

“I’m staying with a friend here and some fans took me around for a cruise, helicopter flights and other activities. I want to appreciate what fans are doing and how they’re supporting me. It’s really touching,” she said.

Ndhlovu started professional acting in 2013 when she met some Nambya friends while in South Africa.

“Real acting started in November 2013. I was in church when I received a call from a friend Kalani and his wife Philomina who wanted to come to my place to sleep over. We started talking about a Nambya drama Ndayeya Kusha (I miss home) which is the first ever drama to be done in Nambya.

“We met the director of Ndayeya Kusha, Sydney Wachimwa and I was surprised that he and his cast were people I knew from home. We were given roles and I became Shetani, the main actor. At first I was nervous but everything started falling into place. They loved my acting and we made the movie. Things were difficult because there was no sponsor and we had to depend on the little savings from our jobs,” she said.

Born at Mpilo Central Hospital, Bulawayo 42 years ago, Ndhlovu says she didn’t know she would one day be an actress. She went to Sacred Heart Mission in Jambezi for primary education and Ihlathi High School in Bulawayo for her secondary education. It was at Sacred Heart where she showed signs of being an actress, she remembers.

“I used to act at school and I remember when I was in Grade Five we had a big day at school where I acted an interesting role. My teacher Graemer Dube came to me and said ‘mtanami you’re a good actor’ because he had seen something in me. He gave me some books as a prize and told me to pursue acting as a career. I’m looking for him and I hear he is around here in Victoria Falls,” said Ndhlovu.

“I got married to the late Joseph Nyathi at the age of 19 in 1991 and we had a son Gerald who got a baby today and am proud because I’m now a grandmother. I also have a daughter Vanessa. My life was ‘divided’ because my parents separated when I was five and I grew up with grandparents in Jambezi and also in Sizinda in Bulawayo,” she said.

She said she owes her success to her late mother Ruth Hadebe, father and members of the AFM Living Word church because of the support they rendered her.

“At church they now call me Shetani. Initially I was afraid my father wouldn’t be happy seeing me acting. I’m still a child to him and before I started acting I went and knelt down to beg him to allow me to play this role and he agreed,” said Ndhlovu, adding that at school she was nicknamed “dumb bells” because she used to lead the dumb bells team.

Shetani the movie was released last year in August and marketed in Hwange, Dete and Victoria Falls — the predominantly Nambya areas.

“People went crazy to the extent that there were stickers on kombis. Even in Gweru and Masvingo people loved it. Our biggest challenge is piracy but we wish Shetani could be shown on ZBC so that the whole country gets to know and appreciate that there are Nambyas in this country. We aren’t doing this for Nambyas or Tongas only but for the whole country,” Ndhlovu said.

She says they are working on two more movies that are set for release this year.

“We’re working on two movies — Nsimbi meaning Girl and Kwejani meaning to try. They’re due for release by midyear. We’ve done some of the scenes and this time I’m not the main actor because everyone has to get leading roles,” she said.

In South Africa Ndhlovu was working as a nurse at a private psychiatric clinic in Johannesburg until January this year when the premises were broken into at night and her bosses suspected she was behind the attack.

She however, successfully challenged the sacking in court where her former employers were ordered to compensate her.