‘Hitman’ on target for more success

Published Dec 22, 2011

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When actor Mandla “Bongo” Thabethe died last year, it was the end of SABC1’s sitcom Family Bonds and the end of the road for the cast. But Durban actor Thabo Mnguni ( pictured) says more doors opened for him.

Mnguni, better known as Bra Steve, is vying for greater roles on screen, having recently earned the role of a prisoner on SABC1’s soapie, Generations.

The actor described his character as callous, sinister and on a mission to avenge the cruelty he was put through by his employer-turned-enemy.

There is nothing hidden that shall not be revealed – the past meets the future with Khaphela Ngcobo (Mike Mvelase) and his family as skeletons come out of the closet.

Khuboni, a hitman who was jailed for 15 years, is about to settle a score with the Ngcobos and sadly Khaphela will take the heat.

Mnguni, who is known by many as being cynical and comical because of his character on Family Bonds, is taking life a bit more seriously with this new role.

“It was hard and challen- ging to be a prisoner, but I’ve been in this game for too long. I take every task given very seriously,” he said.

Fortunately he was already working at Westville Prison, in Durban, training prisoners for a play called Surrender in Time, which is aimed at teaching people on the outside not to commit crime.

“I was like a prisoner myself because for six months I was with them, living on the inside, but I didn’t know about this role. I think God planned everything,” he said.

Khuboni was working for Khaphela’s family, but is angry that they didn’t visit him during his jail term.

When someone is holding a grudge, boiling over with anger and vengeance, you can expect blackmail, retaliation and anxiety.

When Khuboni had Khethiwe (Winnie Modise) and Akhona (Maggie Benedict) visit him in prison, he said: “I have never had visitors before; what do you want?”

The two are doing a docu- mentary on Khuboni, but it could be that Khethiwe wants more out of it – to blackmail the father of her unborn child, Khaphela.

Mnguni is not new to this game; he was inspired by the play Asinamali, which was directed by Mbongeni Ngema.

“I grew up watching Asinamali. I was moved by the actors’ oomph. I felt in love with theatre,” he said.

After matric, his father refused to let him to study drama so he escaped to Joburg to start his acting career.

There he met the late “Father of Theatre”, Gibson Kente, who trained him and gave him a platform in theatre.

After that exposure, he came to Durban and enrolled in drama studies at the University of Natal. His studies were funded by Themi Venturas (artistic director at Catalina Theatre), who was also his mentor.

Although Mnguni’s first break on TV was in Family Bonds, he’s acted in stage plays for years, travelling around the world. He has also been in the musicals Iphi Ntombi? (Where is the Girl?) and Bergville Stories, among others.

Mnguni said theatre was his first love, but when asked why he’d ventured into TV, he said: “It is not about fame, but I felt it was time for me to grow. I’ve been doing plays all my life and I needed a change.”

Mnguni has opened a company called MaNguni Productions, which trains youngsters from townships who have acting potential.

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