Full name: Bawinile (Winnie) Ntshaba
Place of birth: Eshowe, Kwa-Zulu Natal, South Africa
Date of birth: 1 September 1975
Occupation: Actress
Education: Acting (University of Natal)
Citizenship: South African
Known for: Faith Zwide on House of Zwide, Khethiwe Buthelezi from Generations
Spouse: Thabo Modise (married 2007 and div. 2014)
Children: 1
Bawinile Winnie Ntshaba is a South African actress famous for her role as Khethiwe Buthelezi on the TV series Generations. She was born on the 1st of September in 1975, meaning she is 46 years of age as of 2021. Bawinile was born in Eshowe in the Kwa-Zulu Natal province of South Africa. Ntshaba has an older sister whom she claims inspired her to further he studies. She studied acting at the University of Natal in Kwa-Zulu Natal.
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Early and personal life of Winnie Ntshaba
Winnie Ntshaba grew up in poverty. As a child, she would sometimes use cooking oil for body lotion and even eat pap with orange. These were some of the struggles she would go through in her childhood. However, she worships her mother for always being there for them. She always made sure they ate. Winnie Ntshaba comes from a village of poverty, no one was above the counter in riches in their village, however, Winnie took her life and education seriously.
In fact, she had vowed not to date until she had finished her degree. Ntshaba was inspired by the 2 and only graduates in her village, of whom one was her sister who inspired her to further her education. However, life has no straight route and things got disruptive, she ended falling in love with a photographer named Thabo Modise whom she later married in 2007. They fell inlove while she was doing her third year in varsity. The two later divorced in 2014 and had one child together, this came after 7 whole years of marriege. Winnie lost her mother in November of 2017, this was a wake up call as she said, she got a lot of epiphanies on how life really is unpredictable and why we should live only to nourish our well being and pursue our peace.
She said that this showed her that living to impress people at the expense of your happiness wasn’t worth the ride. Winnie later unveiled the tombstone for her mother early this year with some of her colleagues joining her to show support. Her mother was her pillar and her sudden death really shattered her world and gave her a wake up call on how temporary we have it with others here.
Winnie’s views on love and Marriege
Well, as discussed above, Winnie Ntshaba and her husband Thabo Modise separated in 2014 after 7 years of marriege. However, how did this leave Winnie in terms of love and Marriege. Well, the answer will be unorthodox. You would expect her to be in deep dispair and pessimism. However, in an interview done in September 2017, a few months before her mother’s demise, Ntshaba showed great pessimism for marriege. Saying that her parents are still married at her age, she was 41 years of age at the time.
From her parent’s forever story she garnered inspiration and said that the next time she is going to marry it will and must be forever. In her own words she said: “Im wiser, I know better, I know how to handle things”. Winnie and Thabo had been married after 4 years of dating in 2017 and despite their divorce, they are happily co-parenting their 12 year old son Phenyo.
Ntshaba’s film career
After doing small acting gigs from 2000 she finally got her big break in 2004. In 2005 she was casted as a supporting actress alongside Leleti Khumalo in the film Yesterday. Later that same year, she was cast as a leading actor in the film Shreds and dreams directed by Claire Stopford. This was after she had gotten very positive reviews from her role in Yesterday. In 2005, the biggest break of her career happened, she auditioned for the role of Khethiwe Buthelezi for the TV series called Generations. She became a very intergral part of the show until in 2015 when 16 of the main actors on the show were fired. For supposedly striking illegally for better salaries and contract extensions and royalties from rebroadcasted episodes.
In 2017, 2 years after Generations, Winnie Ntshaba was to appear in Mzansi Magic’s The road. However, that was only the beggining of light at the end of the tunnel. In 2018 she got the lead role of Mam’Ngandi on The Herd on Mzansi Magic. She also plays Mam’lihle on isThembiso. And this year she got a leading role as Faith Zwide on House of Zwide on etv. What a long journey it is. Furthermore, Ntshaba is not only an actress, she is a Voice-over artist, Influence and founder of The Royalty Soapie awards and a motivational speaker.
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