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It’s a telenovela that’s already got people talking. After the first few episodes, fans are intrigued.

The show has promised to be sexy and educational all at once.

This is why Zodwa Wabantu loves it. She’s going to make some appearances on The Black Door, a new telenovela on e.tv that explores the lives of prostitutes.

The show premiered on 11 April and Zodwa will make her appearance on 14 April.

She says it is about time a show like this hits the screens. It is no secret that there are people who sell their bodies to make a living and that’s okay, she says.

She’s already fallen in love with the show because often, people tend to shy away from real life.

“You will hear people saying, drugs are wrong, but they are out there on the streets.” They say this from the comfort of their homes or when no one else is watching. They don’t do anything about it.

“And that is usually because of the ‘it doesn’t concern me’ mentality,” she tells Drum.

Zodwa loves the show, she says it represents the reality of the world we live in and more especially when it comes to sex.

“I love it, it is about sex, we sell our bodies, we have brothels and we have prostitutes in real life. Thank God there is somebody who came at the right time just to show these things because we don’t talk about them. You know, no one fights for those girls. Those girls book me like at the Summit, Royal Park, I get booked at those places because there is a market, they have opened that business for me and everyone, whether you’re a waitress, cleaner, barman or you’re the male client, and there are male prostitutes.”

She says this is important for society to learn because it affects them. “There is a woman who is affected by the fact that her man is buying from prostitutes, but she won’t disclose that to even her sister, you understand? And that makes her [ashamed], lose dignity and [have a] low self-esteem, and then lack confidence because she blames herself that maybe there is somewhere she is not enough.”

She tells us what to expect from her on the show. She gets booked by Mam’ Ribs, played by the legendary Mama Linda Sebezo, to her brothel. She says she does not have a character name and maybe because the producers might have thought that it will be easier for her to sell her character on The Black Door.

“I am playing myself Zodwa Wabantu. Maybe the producers wanted to see if I would be scared or I won’t kill it or maybe I am shy, so they are still testing the waters, let us wait and see.” She’s adamant that she will kill the role.

She says she never imagined seeing her career escalating this far. “I am so thankful to God that every year there is someone out there who keeps on giving me something new, because, in the industry, you don’t last if you don’t respect your job, your name, your craft, even though sometimes you push so many boundaries.”

Zodwa will be her usual self, the one her fans have come to know and love. “She is herself, she is not afraid, she is all about money, you will see on some scenes on my acting role, where I take the money and put it in my panties while wearing a G-string, and men splashing money on me, and I am all about that.”

Zodwa will be working with Mam’ Linda on the show, who made an effort to make her comfortable on set.

“She is a darling, everything that I do not know, she would show me. I was shy because I did not know everyone from the cast, I know them from fame, like from their acting. But with her, she was really close and personal, from asking if I had coffee or had something to eat, to sharing her own coffee.”

They might be friends but on set, Mam’ Linda calls the shots. “She is the boss, she runs a club, and she is the one who booked me to come to the club and entertain men, yeah she is my boss.”

Joining the show is an opportunity she embraces like she was born for it, says Zodwa.

“If it is given to me then it is mine. If you give me something, it is mine. I have lived like that. If they give me something, to the best of my abilities, I do it. I work.” – News24