SIYABONGA MAKHUBO
is famous for producing tears on a stage at the drop of a hat, and is very keen
to do a nude scene on stage. Siyabonga is so versatile on stage that he has
even produced a few dramas and is mentor for a few aspirant actors. This Tshwane
University of Technology (TUT) student is a member of Lekamoso Theatre from
Etwatwa, Daveyton, Benoni. He is involved in all of it: drama, music, poetry,
dance and many more.
From a very young age he knew what he wanted to be,
though he did not know how he was going to go about it. It took him a long time
to belong to any theatrical group. But,
one day while sitting at church he was asked to an impromptu performance.
Sicelo Ngubane, one of the elders at the church the Healing Centre Family,
asked him to stand I for an absent artist, “the guy who was supposed to play
the part was no where to be found. I agreed and I perfected the play like I
rehearsed, and from there I never looked back.’’
Siyabonga, popularly known as Scwai, is passionate, and
talented, and wants to bring adventurous changes in the South African Theatre.
He is of the opinion that South African writers are lazy, and is against
foreign artists playing South Africans in films about local icons, like in the recent
Nelson Mandela autobiographic film, Long Walk to Freedom. “I get so emotional about it because we have
good artists in South Africa who would have done a better job.”
He is currently writing a play called Secrets Behind Exile.
He says the p ay is about a guy who is forced to go to exile by his mother because
the mother is having an affair with the police chief, and the latter obsession
that the lady’s son should go into exile without a valid political reason. The
police chief is just a cruel guy who gets his kicks from other peoples’
suffering and in this case, he just wants the son to suffer and his mother to
suffer emotionally.
Siyabonga loves Asinamali by Mbongeni Ngema because he
thinks it is a beautiful stage play. He does not like plays that have a lot of artists,
because that’s “limit the acting abilities of artists. A play of six people can
be done by two people so that they can be creative, and they re able to show
their talents more.’’ He says he does not like directing though he has directed
before, he wants to be “on stages of the world.” But he wants to start on the small stages here
at home. ‘’I am not money driven, I love what I do, and yes, I would dance nude
on stage because I am an instrument of the what the director want on stage. The
director can use my body in any way he wants. I am not ashamed of it. Even if
I’m not paid for it, I will still do it.”
His role model, locally, is Mcedisi Shabangu, and overseas
it is the impressive and award-winning Samuel L. Jackson.
Right now he is focusing on finishing his masters’ degree
and, at only 19, has ample time to reach his ambitions, like winning an Oscar
one day, because “that will show that people love and appreciate what I do.”
However, Siyabonga loves the stage more than being on TV. “I would love to play
a pimp because I think that would challenge me, and I love challenges.”
He was born in KwaZulu Natal, and came to Johannesburg in
1999. Part of his family is still there, and his father passed away in 2001. “My
siblings and I were raised by my mother and grandparents, though my grandmother
past away last year. My mother, who is employed as a general worker, is very
supportive of my career choice.”
Siyabonga went to Tshipi Noto Primary School in
Maphupheni, and later went to Phandimfundo Secondary School where he completed
his matric in 2003. His subjects were Tourism, Economics, Life Sciences, Maths
Literacy, English and Isizulu, and his favourite subject was Economics, and his
favourite teacher was one R M Makhubela, “because she was a straight forward talker.”
He won best actor twice in 2009 and in again in 2010. In
2013 he won an award for best poet in the local achievements awards. He looks
forward to garnering more awards in the future.
Siyabonga during a performance at the SAAYC festival in Etwatwa, Benoni
pics courtesy SAAYC
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