Actress Nomzamo Mbatha flew back to Mzansi this week to personally hand over bursaries to well-deserving students.
Mbatha’s Lighthouse Foundation and Hollywoodbets awarded R547 000 in tertiary bursaries to 43 successful applicants.
According to the actress, who is now based in Los Angeles, it has been a joy working with a brand that has a parallel vision to that of her own foundation.
“I named my foundation The Lighthouse Foundation because in the midst of a storm people look to a lighthouse to help guide them through the storm. That is exactly what we want to be for the people of South Africa, we want to bridge the gap for those who need it most. It blew my mind when I learned how much Hollywoodbets does within South Africa. They’ve already invested R300 000 into tertiary education with Gagasi FM. That’s why it made sense to work with them to help bring education to South Africans in need,” she said, during a breakfast hosted in Zimbali, in the north coast of KwaZulu-Natal.
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Last year Mbatha moved to Los Angeles and has since scored a role in Eddie Murphy’s upcoming Coming To America sequel where she will co-star alongside Arsenio Hall and Tracy Morgan. Mbatha was announced as a cast member alongside Hollywood star Garcelle Beauvais.
“I can’t give you details around the character I play because I am under a very tight embargo but I will say that this was an incredible experience just being in that surrounding, I have never seen anything like it. For us (in South Africa), a movie is a crew of about 40 and in Hollywood, it’s 200 so it’s just mind-blowing. God has really put a lamp on my feet and in December we will be having a different conversation and things will be very different next year”, she said.
Speaking on making the move to the US, Mbatha said: “It takes a lot of guts to make that move especially knowing the kind of success I have here at home and to go and say that I will start from step one. The support from home has been fantastic though”.
No stranger to the international stage thanks to her work as a Goodwill Ambassador of UNHCR, Mbatha said it was always her plans to break into Hollywood.
“I am of the notion that there are no limits, there is no ceiling so I dream big and I go for it. My sights have always been on global domination and reach and also to tell different stories so the move to Los Angeles was always the plan”, she said.
When asked about her role on Isibaya, where she is rumoured to have been written out of the award winning Mzansi Magic soapie, the star opted not to comment.