{"id":223841,"date":"2021-01-25T17:48:41","date_gmt":"2021-01-25T16:48:41","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/buzzsouthafrica.com\/?p=223841"},"modified":"2023-01-24T17:31:25","modified_gmt":"2023-01-24T16:31:25","slug":"mary-twala-revisiting-somizis-mothers-life-of-successes-and-legacies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/buzzsouthafrica.com\/mary-twala-revisiting-somizis-mothers-life-of-successes-and-legacies\/","title":{"rendered":"Mary Twala Biography – Inside Somizi\u2019s Mother\u2019s Life of Successes and Legacies"},"content":{"rendered":"
Mary Twala (14 September 1939 \u2013 4 July 2020) was a South African actress known for her roles in Hector and the Search for Happiness (2014), The Dark Tower (2017), and This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection (2019).\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n Mary Twala’s life was a testament to duty, humility, and honor. A thespian per excellence, she left an indelible mark in the corridors of the country’s film and entertainment industry. It is not every day that you see people who are passionate about what they do and are willing to keep going at it for six decades – that is one legacy of Mary Kuksie Twala-Mhlongo. She left behind a 60-year long acting career, which remained evergreen even as she glided through the years.<\/p>\n The TV veteran used her privileged position on-screen to contribute meaningfully to different causes throughout her lifetime, and she was recognized for her work both on and off the screen. At her death, she was heralded as one of the greatest contributors to the performing arts in the country. Her works earned several awards, including one of South Africa\u2019s highest honors – National Order of Ikhamanga (in silver) – which was presented to her by President Cyril Ramaphosa<\/a>\u00a0in 2019 for her contribution to raising awareness on issues that had to do with women’s health.<\/p>\n As an attestation to a perfectly forged career, Mhlongo appeared in many local TV series and films, including international films A Love in Africa<\/em>\u00a0and Sarafina.<\/em> Her performances on TV shows such as Molo Fish<\/em> and Hlala Kwabafileyo<\/em>\u00a0earned her the Best Comedy Performer award. She also won the South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTA) in 2015 for Best Actress in a Comedy.<\/p>\n A devoted wife and mother of one, Mary Twala breathe her last on July 4, 2020, at the age of 80, breaking the hearts of the nation and especially, her only son, Somizi Mhlongo<\/a>, who announced her death on his social media page. We take a look at her life and the legacies she will be forever be remembered for.<\/p>\n Many articles reckon that Mary Twala was born in Soweto. However, at the time of her birth on September 14, 1939, the town where she was born was known as Orlando East, in Johannesburg, South Africa (it later became a part of Soweto). Mary was raised in a poverty-stricken small four-roomed house as the first child of a family of ten (she had seven siblings). She was raised by her mother, Elizabeth, fondly called ‘MaKhambule,’ who worked as a domestic worker in Noordgesig, a town close to theirs.<\/p>\n While the details about her father were unclear, the known father-figure in her life was her mother’s brother named Dan Twala. He was a community leader and actor who featured in the 1949 local movie, Jim<\/i>\u00a0Comes<\/i>\u00a0to<\/i>\u00a0Joburg<\/i>. He became her inspiration and that was how she picked up a passion for art and entertainment as he was also a musician and broadcaster. She began her education (primary) in Orlando East before moving to Swaziland to continue her high school education, alongside the children of royals.<\/p>\n Upon completing her high school education, she returned to Orlando East, and despite her desire to be an entertainer, she found a job as a factory seamstress as she bid her time. Although the ceiling for African women was limited in those days, things worked out differently for Twala as she was spotted by a talent scout while she was singing in an audition she attended with her sister, and her journey to a fabulous career in the world of performing arts began.<\/p>\n The talent scout who discovered Mary Twala was renowned playwright Gibson Kente, known as ‘the father of township theatre’ and also known for his dexterity in theater and stage plays. Legendary actress, Mary Twala raise the bar in terms of what is to be expected of a thespian as she was excellent in the various roles she played – on stage, film, or television. She made her acting debut in 1963 when she was given a role in Kente’s stage play Manana the Jazz Prophet.<\/i><\/p>\n <\/p>\n She followed that up with another appearance in another play Sikalo<\/i> in 1966 alongside her yet-to-be husband at the time, Ndaba Mhlongo. She featured in Mama and the Load\u00a0<\/i>(1980), alongside one of South Africa’s most esteemed actors, Sello Maake Ka Ncube<\/a>. Her soprano voice made her an integral part of GK Productions, owned by Gibson Kente. She also took small roles in films such as Inyakanyaka<\/i>,\u00a0Ngaka,\u00a0<\/i>uDeliwe,<\/i> among others.<\/p>\n In 1988, she appeared in\u00a0Mapantsula\u00a0<\/i>as one of the protesters during the rent boycott.\u00a0Mapantsula\u00a0<\/i>was\u00a0an anti-apartheid production that sought to expose the happenings in the country at that time. Other plays she featured in include\u00a0The Game <\/i>(2008) and Sheila\u2019s Day <\/i>(2009) – both written by playwright Duma Ndlovu. Perhaps, one of the most groundbreaking film appearances for Twala was her portrayal of Fedora in Taxi to Soweto\u00a0<\/i>(1991). It was a classic film because of the timing (it was released at a time South Africa was transitioning to democratic rule) and her portrayal of Fedora – a bold and confident black home servant in a white environment.<\/p>\n Another iconic role she played was in the international film Sarafina! <\/em>(1992) as the title character’s (Leleti Khumalo<\/a>) grandmother. The movie was released to so much international acclaim and has remained one of the best productions to come out of South Africa to date. She disappeared from the screens for a long while as she underwent a medical procedure, but she made her comeback in 2015 when she appeared in Vaya.<\/em>\u00a0In 2016, she came on set with some of the best actors on the continent such as British-Nigerian actor, Hakeem Kae-Kazim and Nigerian actress, Bimbo Akintola, to shoot the movie, Comatose<\/em>.<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Other international film appearances by Mary Twala include A Love in Africa, Malunde, Dr. Lucille, Nyaka-Nyaka, Friends, Game for Vultures, Waati, Science Classic<\/em>, and Score. <\/em>The veteran actress made her final film appearances in This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection<\/i> (2019) and Black Is King<\/i> (2020).<\/p>\n Apart from her exploits on the stage and the big screen, Mary Twala also excelled on the small screen. She has an enviable TV career that saw her appear in several indigenous productions such as Die SonKriel, Hlala Kwabafileyo, Muvhango, Undenzani Melwane, Child of Soweto, Yizo-Yizo, Iqhawe, SOS, Soul Buddyz<\/em>, and Khululeka<\/em>. She appeared as ‘MaDolly’ in the SABC1 supernatural miniseries, Ubizo<\/em>, in 2007, and she reprised the role in the SABC2 miniseries, Hopeville,<\/em> in 2009. The following year, 2010, she appeared in the SABC2 sitcom, Skwizas, <\/em>as ‘MaKhambu’.\u00a0She made a guest appearance in the first season of Generations<\/em>.<\/p>\n Mary Twala’s career was such that was seen and appreciated by viewers, reviewers, and award bodies also. The Hopeville <\/em>star bagged several nominations and awards – she even received one posthumously.<\/p>\n She earned her first award in 1992 – Best Supporting Actress award – for her performance in Taxi to Soweto<\/em>. The following year, she was also awarded the Best Comedy Performer awards, thanks to her exceptional performances in\u00a0Hlala Kwabafileyo <\/em>(She would win the same award again for her role in Molo Fish<\/em>). For her role in SABC2’s\u00a0Hopeville,\u00a0<\/em>she earned a nomination in the Best Supporting Actress category at the 6th Africa Movie Academy Awards in 2010.<\/p>\n She received a Golden Horn Award for Lifetime Achievement in 2013 at the 7th Annual South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTA). In 2015, she received another Golden Horn award, this time in the category of Best Actress in a TV Comedy for her performance in the SABC2’s TV program, Skwizas.<\/em><\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n Perhaps, the crown jewel of all her awards and recognitions was the National Orders Awards – National Order of Ikhamanga (in silver) – she received in 2019. Being the last award she received before her death, it seems fitting that it is also the biggest she ever received. The Order of Ikhamanga category was in recognition of those who have contributed consistently and positively over years in performing arts. It was bestowed on her by President Cyril Ramaphosa for the “versatility and longevity of her acting career, as well as her outstanding contribution to the arts in South Africa”.<\/p>\n Mary Twala bagged the Best Actress award at the 44th annual Hong Kong International Film Festival in August 2020 for her performance in the 2019 film, This Is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection, <\/i>despite kicking the bucket a month earlier.<\/p>\n Mam’Mary, as she was fondly called, was married once in her lifetime. She was married to Ndaba Walter Mhlongo, who was also a renowned South African stage, TV, and film actor. And even though she lost him to the cold hands of death in 1989, she refused to remarry – such was their love and commitment to each other. She has since described her husband as a ‘kind-hearted and devoted’ man.<\/p>\n Popularly known as ‘Mshefane’ (the name of a character he portrayed in a movie with the same name), Mr. Mhlongo hails from Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, but moved to Jo’burg where he teamed up with Gibson Kente\u2019s team. Being both actors, Twala met Ndaba Mhlongo in 1966, on a rehearsal for one of their plays (Sikalo), where they acted opposite each other as man and wife. Their chemistry and great acting meant that the roles (of man and wife) continued in several other features, and soon their on-screen romance translated into a real-life relationship, and before long, they were married – in the late 60s<\/a>.<\/p>\nSummary of Mary Kuksie Twala’s Biography<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Early Life and Childhood of Mary Twala<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Mary Twala Started Off Her Career as a Stage\/Theatre Actress<\/strong><\/h2>\n
She Got Several Awards and Recognition<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Quick Recap of Mary Twala’s Awards and Nominations<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Nomination<\/strong><\/h3>\n
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Her Married Life with Ndaba Mhlongo and Their Children<\/strong><\/h2>\n