South African actress and mental health activist Nomvelo “Mvelo” Makhanya recently added DJing to her list of skills.
Taking to Instagram, Mvelo wrote: “Starting something new is always so scary especially because everyone ALWAYS has an opinion but the past six months of constant practice & gigging has been amazing & so fulfilling. shoutout to everyone that’s been in my corner.”
Friends and fans were excited by this transition.
Native Child wrote: “Unleash every talent baby girl (fire emojis). I love this for you.”
Sweet Bongs wrote: “I can never be more proud of you.”
Stunning Maze wrote: “Forever evolving.”
The award-winning actress is renowned for her role as Lindiwe in the soapie “Scandal”.
Mvelo has also made appearances in various stage plays, among them “The Bald Prima Donna”, “African Reflections” and “Maybe This Time”, and she landed roles in “Isibaya” and “Soul City”.
In 2022, she won her first SA Film and Television Award (Safta) for best supporting actress in a feature film, for her role in the Netflix film, “I Am All Girls”.
Speaking about her win, the talented actress expressed gratitude to everyone who supported her in her craft.
“This is absolutely wild, it’s insane. This is for the little black girl sitting at home needing their dreams to be validated.
“This is it, this is our moment, this is our time! I’m eternally grateful. Little me is happy to have fulfilled my childhood dream. Thank you to the Saftas team for the recognition.
“This is huge! Thank you to my family, friends, my team at Soulistic, and my supporters for the constant support – it truly does not go unnoticed. Thank you,” she said.
Other SA actors who have ventured into the DJing industry include:
Thuli Phongolo
Phongolo is part of the musical duo 2 Faced. The duo, also made of Sithabile Zungu, better known as Slenda Da Dancing DJ, aims to bridge the gap between the two musical worlds, creating a “seamless fusion of amapiano’s beats and rhythms with the raw energy of gqom”.
Kay Sibiya
Sibiya is also no stranger to TV, as he has played numerous characters on productions such as “Uzalo”, “The Queen”, “The Wife” and “Imbewu: The Seed”.
In an interview with “TshisaLIVE”, he said he recalled his first stint in DJing when he travelled to KwaZulu-Natal to film “Imbewu: The Seed”.
“Acting will always be a part of my life and still is. I was away from my partner and the kids, I was bored half the time after set and needed a new hobby, so I bought some equipment and used it to de-stress after work.
“I started playing and posting stuff randomly, which led to me getting inquiries so after Imbewu I went for some gigs and realised it was sustainable, and it's been epic,” he told the publication.
Cementing himself as one of the new DJs to watch in 2024, in November 2023, Sibiya released his debut single,“Kuyabongwa”, featuring Jey Charles. He said he was soon preparing to release his debut EP.
Hungani Ndlovu
The “Skeem Saam” actor also recently added "DJ" to his CV, leaving fans to wonder if there was anything he couldn’t do.
Taking to his Instagram page earlier this year, Ndlovu shared slides of himself on the decks.
He joked in the caption, noting how “they” said “they” have a celebrity DJ and he thought he was opening for someone else, not realising he was the person referred to.
Mzansi had a good laugh over the caption. But then his becoming a DJ was also a subject of argument. Some people were dismissive of him becoming a DJ, pointing out that everyone was becoming a DJ these days.
Pearl Thusi
In 2023, Thusi said she was shifting her focus to the music business, and it is finally happening.
Taking to social media, she said DJing was a venture she had been working on for the past 10 years.
“God’s timing is perfect. Delay is not denial. Trust in the process. I’ve made a dream come true. Whether this makes sense to you or not, worry about yourself and making your dreams come true. I pray this convinces you to never give up on what you want to achieve.
“I was always so worried about what everyone would say about this decision, for nearly a decade. Angisanandaba nezinkulumo zabantu. I practised until I couldn’t stand.
“I’m so happy because I overcame the fear of judgment, forgetting that only God has the right to judge me. I’m free.”
Friends and family members are rooting for her as she also revealed that she has many plans in the pipeline for her career.