Celebrating Youth Month, SMAG Introduced the cast of their Youth Issue dubbed “Legend of Tomorrow” House of Zwide's Nefisa Mkhabela & Gaisang K Noge are part of the cast, check out their interview below.
Nefisa Mkhabela, 20,
What is your superpower?
To enter a room and bring light to it with my smile.
What makes you a legend of tomorrow?
My talent, of course, and my pure heart. My willingness to learn the ropes of the industry so that I can achieve the “all-rounder” title that I want to be known for one day.
What makes you a cultural disruptor?
Knowing that I can portray a certain character and knowing that I will kill it.
Why did you choose a life on the screen?
Because I’m dramatic. I’ve known since I was a kid that being an actor was what I was meant to be. And I do it quite well, if I say so myself.
What kind of career do you want to have?
I want to be an all-rounder. I want to be a businesswoman, presenter, and entertainer.
What change do you want to bring to the younger generation?
To inspire them not to buy into the stigma that you can’t achieve your dreams because of where you come from or a lack of resources.
What do you want to be remembered for?
Empowering women to be big in the workspace. I want all women to believe that they can become superstars.
What is the biggest hurdle facing the youth today?
Depression. There’s a lot of pressure to become a success and that makes the youth feel stressed out.
What is your biggest insecurity?
Being hairy when I was young, but now that I’m older, I’ve learnt to embrace and see beauty in it.
Who is your favourite Euphoria character?
Rue (Zendaya), because she’s just real and authentic.
Gaisang K Noge, 26,
What do you think is your superpower?
I can make people happy. I know how to make people smile and feel warm inside. I bring peace to people — I’m actually a light to many.
What makes you a legend of tomorrow?
I own my craft and put my heart on my sleeve whenever I am on screen. I believe that will be admired and applauded in the near future.
What makes you a cultural disruptor in your industry?
I’m enchanting and resilient.
What three things have you learnt about yourself thus far in the acting industry?
That I’m a fighter, even in my silence. I’m a good discerner of people’s energies, and can look at the positives despite the chaos that might be happening.
How have you reacted to the backlash about being cast as Naledi in The Wife?
I won’t lie, the comments are quite hurtful. People can’t look past the character that they expected me to be or look like in terms of my body. Growing up, I went through a difficult journey — I was the chubby girl who was just cute.
Take us through that journey?
In tertiary I lost all the weight, but people who knew me would always throw “skinny” comments at me. Now I’m on TV playing a role people don’t think I fit into because I’m not fat enough. It makes me quite sad, because no matter what you do, you can never satisfy people in how you look.
What’s that one thing we don’t know about you?
My father is Dosto Noge. He’s best known for being a television presenter on SABC1’s Selimathunzi. He’s such a warm dad and a huge motivation seeing that I’ve also embarked on an entertainment career, just like him.