Katlego Sekhu
Shaka Ilembe actress and producer Nomzamo Mbatha recently joined Relebogile Mabotja for a sit-down interview on her podcast.
The actress opened up about not being “emotionally supported” as a child despite being showered with love.
“Looking back at losing my father at fourteen years old and being his primary caregiver, seeing his health decline like that. Those things will affect you,” said Nomzamo.
“Mind you, I got everything because my father adored me. That was a huge contributor to the person I am now.”
As a result of her childhood trauma, Nomzamo finds it hard to celebrate her recent success. “One of the things I have to heal from is that I don’t tell my friends when I have achieved something. I wasn’t receiving it from home,” added Nomzamo who is learning to let go of her imposter syndrome.
Nomzamo, a University of Cape Town Alumni admits the first year of Varsity came with its challenges. “I was there on bursaries, and I am surrounded by kids whose parents are paying. I have to perform to stay, and if I don’t, it gets taken away,” she recalled.
“I had four or five distinctions coming out of high school, and everyone was galvanized and contributed to this dream, and when you get there, it’s the first time you get a 35 percent in your life. It felt like my world was ending.”
As someone whos self-reliant, Nomzamo found it very difficult to reach out for help. “In university, I was very scared of my voice and very insecure. It was also a very big space, and I didn’t have my voice. I was so completely swallowed in. It messed up my self-esteem. That was the greatest possible feeling of failure,” she said about her experience in part.
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