She is by far one of the hilarious actresses in the South African entertainment industry. Her bubbly and fun nature has landed her many jobs in the industry ever since she was introduced to our screens. Like many other celebrities, she is also a businesswoman making money out of her craft and side hustles. Let’s take a look at Thembsie Matu ‘Petronella’ from The Queen’s business empire.
The actress was born in Gauteng. She grew up with her mother after her father abandoned them. Her debut in the acting industry happened in 1987. From then she has never missed a beat up to this year. She landed her first role in theatre in a play called Sekunjalo in 1987. She played in two more plays in the eighties before her Television debut in Mama’s Love and then Lahliwe in the late nineties.
The role that gained her the most popularity in Mzansi was in Tshisa as Nomathamsanga, and she played the role for six years. Meanwhile, she landed other roles in The lab, Rhythm City, Zone 14, gaz’lam, Zero Tolerance, to mention just a few. Ferguson films The Queen gave her the part of Petronella from season 2, and due to the popularity of her role, she has had a recurring role in the show’s sixth season this year.
Petronella from The Queen’s business empire
Besides acting, Thembsie has her hand in quite a several Tv commercials too. She has worked for the famous brand of insecticide called Doom for many years now. She has worked in advertisements for Sunlight washing powder, and she has paid partnership with Standard bank as well. Besides all that, she has her own business, which is a clothing brand. The brand specialises in selling clothes made out of Ankara material.
Life has not always been good to her, as she lost her husband after he drowned in a swimming pool. However, she is still working and sharpening her craft. As of 2021, the actress’s net worth is an estimated $500 000, with most of her earnings coming from her acting.