Wandisile’s Plett
A blog by Wandisile Sebezo
I never pictured myself an actor
“It’s more like acting found me”, said Luxolo Ndabeni when I met him at The Table in December to chat about his humble beginnings in theatre and acting.
Luxolo Ndabeni
Not really sure which career path to take, at first journalism was his choice, but his “persistent” mother was not sure, so she put things into perspective until he made what seemed to be a correct choice – choosing acting as a career.
Born and raised in Plett, this 24 year old went to Phakamisani Primary School in Kwano, and did his high schooling at Percy Mdala High in Knysna, Murray High in Plett as well at South Cape College. I guess like all of us Kwano kids, the sky has always been the limit.
His first sting at acting was when he was cast as an extra on SABC’s prime time soapies – Generations and Isidingo, but his was not to be an extra, this is not what he was destined to do, he recollects – “This is not for me, no no, I am not that guy who drinks coffee… I can do better”.
Things were not all rosy though, he says. Jozi became rough so he had to relocate to Tshwane to stay with a relative, and so the roughness of Jozi also came with financial distress. He told me of how he was left stranded at the Grahamstown National Arts Festival, with no money to go back either to Jozi or come to Plett. The dark story behind the glitz and glamour that were not often told.
But then after much perseverance, things turned out for the good when he was offered an opportunity to play a character called ‘Zakes’ on Mzantsi Magic’s Lockdown. Zakes was an ambitious music producer, who got mixed up with the wrong crowds and become a junkie, and a drug trafficker. A role that he found to be “interesting” he says.
But most of his acting is not so much in front of the camera, but in theatre, both the Market and State Theatres. These are the stages where he also gets to perform his poetry.
Asked what the future looks like – “I began wanting to be an actor… Lockdown helped me realise that acting ayizuspana (acting won’t work), so I applied at AFDA (film school)”. The dream ultimately for him is have to have his own production company.
“I’d rather spend time finding myself”, after I asked who’s the lady behind the man. It’s all work no play for this Plett native, to him, it’s all about “elevating my game”.
How do you view the creative space of Plett?
Luxolo Ndabeni on stage performing ‘Igazi’
“I don’t wanna lie, I grew up here hearing that Plett is so talented, I have never seen that up until I grew up, there’s a lot of people I admire, people my age group, not just Plett, but Kwano alone is abuzz with (potential) development”
“I have a proposal of a Plett production where we tell the story of Plett, of Kwano” and in this regard he hopes he’ll get the necessary support to kick-start such a project.
These are the developmental projects we supposed to be putting our energies on, instead of petty politicising everything in this town, I say this because apparently he did submit such a proposal last year to the powers that be at Bitou Municipality, and till now not even an acknowledgement of receipt has been received. But I digress, this is Luxolo’s moment.
He is ecstatic though about the love he continues to receive, especially from Plett peeps. And I must say this was one of best and easiest interviews I have ever done so far, not because I literally grew up in the same street as Luxolo in Kwano, his home is just 3 minutes away from mine, but the humbleness of this Plett celebrity charmed me, something that is often lacking on the people we choose to celebrate in this country. With such amazing raw talents and some unearthed, the Plett Feeling has the potential to even grow bigger!
Watch Loxolo perform live in a drama entitled ‘Stones’ at the Plett ARTS Festival on 26 June 2018.
