The first thing that comes to the mind of people in relation to the delectable and talented Tinah Mnumzana is that she is a veteran South African actress who through ups and downs, has remained relevant in Mzansi. However, she is much more than that; she is also a teacher,preacher, motivational speaker, poet, and acting coach.
The famous thespian was born on October 6, 1967. She is a product of Gibson Kente School in Dube, Soweto.
The actress is known for her very strong demeanor and positive personality. Beneath all these is a very troubled past that seemed to be on a replay at various times in her life. According to her, she was forced to bear many emotional wounds when she was growing up, although she has been on the path to total healing. The actress revealed that she has been a victim of rape in four separate encounters.
The first time that she was sexually abused, she was only a girl of 10 years old. She revealed that she was raped by an older family member whose name she did not disclose. Three years later when she was 13, she became a victim of rape for the second time when yet another family member raped her. Like the first time, she did not tell anyone. This was not the end of her ordeal; the actress revealed that she was raped two more times later in her life by someone that she was involved with intimately.
She got to heal emotionally, but that was only with the help of her close friend Pamela Nomvete who assisted her in finding peace again. She revealed that she no longer hold any grudge against anyone. However, she has taken it upon herself to become an advocate against rape and gender-based violence.
Tinah started her career as a school teacher in the 1990s. Like most other actors, it was on stage that she first breathed serious life into her profession as an actress. Today, she has moved beyond just being a stage actress to also work as a theatre director, as well as a TV and film actress.
She is also a poet, motivational speaker and a life coach. She taps from all the personal experiences she has gotten from the stables of life itself to encourage people in their life journey, motivate them, and help them through difficult situations.
The actress has gathered close to 4 decades of acting experience under her belt and one of her earliest appearances was in the 1994 TV series, Soul City. Before this, her roots in acting were traced to 1987 when she first joined the Performing Arts Centre of the Free State (PACOFS)
Since then, she has made appearances in some of the most followed shows in South Africa...first Season of Isidingo, playing the role of Florence. Scandal! is yet another popular TV show that she took part in, playing Constance in the first season. Her biggest role is her portrayal of Flora in The River.
Below are some of the shows she was featured in
- Gold Diggers (2016 – 2017)
- Black Sails (2017)
- Hatchet Hour (2016)
- Dora’s Peace (2016)
- Ashes to Ashes (2015-2016)
- Machine Gun Preacher (2011)
- State of Violence (2010)
- Mrs. Mandela (2010)
- The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency (2009)
- Jozi-H (2006)
- ER (2006)
- Yesterday (2004)
- Beat the Drum (2003)
Mnumzana’s love life also mirrors the struggles of all other aspects of her life. The actress fell in love with a man whose name she did not reveal sometime between the late 1980s and early 1990s. They tied the knot in 1992 and they were only married for 3years before they divorced.
The mother of two might be famous but she has also encountered financial challenges... The peak of her financial travails came sometime in 2003 at a time when she was still struggling to raise her kids as a single mother and also taking part in Isidingo. The actress had a house in Xavier Reef which was repossessed by the bank in 2005 and she later lost her role in the popular TV show, Isidingo.
The financial difficulties were, according to her, not because of normal situations. She was told in 1992 that she was called not only to act but also to serve as a preacher, but she did not heed to the calling. It was this failure that made various things in her life very difficult.
In 2016, she gave in and was ordained a preacher. While her financial life did not pick up immediately, she made it clear that she was still enriched in her spiritual life. After her ordination, she began getting acting roles and her life changed for the better