Zamani Mbatha speaks on fatherless childhood and choosing acting over soccer

admin June 9, 2022
How Zamani Mbatha chose acting over soccer.
How Zamani Mbatha chose acting over soccer.

Zamani Mbatha was born to both parents and everything was normal until the age of six when he lost his father. Since then, life have not been easy for him. He grew up in the townships where the kids who were his childhood friends had both parents but he had only his mother.

“When I was six my dad actually passed on, it hasn’t been very easy for me because I grew up around kids, where most of my friends they had like, its either you have both parents or the parents both of them are married. It’s a situation, You know how situations are in the township…” he said in a Showmax interview.

So where did Zamani Mbatha draw the strength when dismayed

Zamani had to learn to rely on his mother as the source of strength since she was the only parent and also the breadwinner. He loved his supportive family very much that when it was time to be weaned out of the family into street jungle of acting he didn’t want to leave.

“I have always viewed and I have always seen my mom as, both my dad and my mom. So, yeah… it has to be her. It wasn’t easy for me to actually leave my family..[sobbing]” he said.

What was Zamani Mbatha’s major disappointment

Zamani was really good at playing soccer and he saw himself becoming a great soccer player one day. So, when the life led him the other way and stopped playing soccer, he was disappointed greatly.

“That’s me having to stop playing soccer, I actually believed that everything was gonna work out, that I was going somewhere. Because well, seeing from the things that were pulling through for me, seeing from how hard I was working. There was this one time when I felt as if I was a loser.

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Because you know I grew up around boys, but I am not going to say they made me feel like a loser. You know how it is when you want to do everything, and everyone is like ‘But what are you doing? You’re doing everything? I’m playing soccer, he is singing, he is dancing'”

“‘You dancing, you singing, you playing soccer. What’s your vibe?'”

How Zamani Mbatha left soccer and joined acting

Zamani was good at playing soccer but he was also good at acting as well. There was a point in his life where he had a dilemma of not knowing what to choose. He had to choose between playing soccer and acting since there was no way he could juggle both balls.

“At high school I played soccer and I was good at it but I started to develop an interest in acting when I was doing Grade 12. I tried my luck and I got the role in Isithembiso.

“I mean, I got the job right after school and I can never thank God enough for that. He thought he could play soccer and act “but I realised that it would not work. I dumped soccer because the acting bug was just too strong,” he said. [ ²]

Acting is his final and destination

But despite all the dilemmas, Zamani Mbatha continued to look forward and he never gave up on his life and dreams. He continued to follow his instincts and finally saw acting was his destiny.

“But the voice in my head and the voice in me told me to keep going. I am gonna get where I am going. There is gonna be a place where, when I sit, I have all the energy for everything that that place requires. And that’s right now. And I feel as an actor, I am ready to take an challenge.” he said.

As an actor, Zamani Mbatha has become very great just like his sister Nomzamo Mbatha. He has appeared in Rhythm City, Is’phindiselelo, Isono and the etv’s risque drama series The Black Door. On The Black Door, Zamani plays the role of Khaya Sokhulu the son to Nomsa Sokhulu played by Velephi Mnisi Khumalo.

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