Revealed; How Detective Nyawo’s son Cebo Junior Mthembu followed his father to work and scored an acting role on Uzalo
A rare case in the South African filming industry where parents and children feature on the same set, the Mthembu are the latest due to give Mzansi a show in Uzalo. Actor Cebolenkosi Mthembu who plays the role of Detective Nyawo in the SABC 1 soap opera Uzalo saw his six-year-old son Cebo Junior Mthembu following his acting footsteps.
Cebo Junior Mthembu, Detective Nyawo’s son, joins Uzalo.
Cebo Junior Mthembu was credited on the Uzalo cast as Kid 2, the child of Vuyolwethu (Nomphilo Mvelase). His mother, Vuyolwethu had a mental illness caused by drug addiction and started to abuse his father; the family had Gabisile and K-Mash FM to thank for the intervention. Though Vuyolwethu threatened Gabisile in K-Mash FM studios in a hostage ordeal, she finally got help with the intervention of police and a psychiatrist (Zomondo Khuluse).
Uzalo fans heaped praises on Cebo Junior Mthembu after he remained behind and let his mother get the help she needed during the hostage situation.
The six-year-old grade one student Cebo Jnr Mthembu fell in love with acting at a young age. He is inspired by his father, who is an actor and an electrical engineer. Cebo Junior used to follow his father to work, stayed behind while he was shooting, and, with his brilliance and talent, realised his dream of being on television.
How Cebo Junior Mthembu got a role on Uzalo
An intelligent creative in his capacity Cebo Junior Mthembu produced an excellent audition and stunned the show producers after he revealed that he is the son of fellow cast member Detective Nyawo.
He earned his spot on Uzalo before revealing his identity, confirms the show producers.
Detective Nyawo revealed that his child auditioned like any other child and intentionally concealed information that he was the father till he got the role.
When I heard that Uzalo was going to audition for kids, I encouraged him to take the challenge since he is brave, smart and has always wanted to become a television star. He went on auditions, and nobody knew he was my son until the crew members asked him about his parents. Junior got the role because he impressed the producers; at times, his confidence and willingness to learn surprised me; we are confident he has a lot to offer in the filming industry, said Cebolenkosi Mthembu.
While his parents encourage him to focus on education to realise his engineering dream, they will always support his acting career.
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