South African actress and entrepreneur Sophie Ndaba, best known for her iconic role as Queen Moroka in the popular television series Generations, recently shared deeply personal and harrowing details of her childhood on the Relebogile Mabotja Podcast.
The interview revealed a life marked by hardship, abuse, and resilience, offering a poignant counterpoint to her public image.
Ndaba’s childhood was far from idyllic. Her father suffered from a serious illness, possessing only one kidney, placing a significant strain on the family’s finances. Her mother, the sole breadwinner, struggled to make ends meet, leaving the family in dire financial straits.
Adding to the complexities of her early life, Ndaba’s grandfather hailed from Zimbabwe. At the age of eight, her mother made the difficult decision to send her to live in Harare with her older sister, who was married and had children.
This move, intended to alleviate the family’s burden, unfortunately introduced Ndaba to a new set of challenges.
She recounted a disturbing experience with her sister’s partner: “That man (her sister’s partner) was touchy-feely. I remember my grandmother saying: ‘Don’t allow men to touch or kiss you. They must greet you and move.’ Every time he said goodnight: he kissed me and put his tongue in my mouth.”
However, the wisdom imparted by her grandmother proved invaluable, enabling Ndaba to navigate this difficult situation and avoid further escalation.
Her ordeal, however, was far from over. Ndaba subsequently found herself in a children’s home before being fostered by a wealthy couple who, she claims, treated her cruelly. The stark contrast between their outward appearance of affluence and their harsh treatment of her left a lasting impact.
She described their behaviour: “About a month after I was there, that lady said that kids don’t sleep in bedrooms, they sleep outside. So me and the other two foster kids slept outside on a concrete floor. We bathed in cold water and never had lunch.”
Sophie Ndaba explained her confusion at the time, noting the family’s wealth and their efforts to maintain a façade of respectability: “She was keeping up with appearances. She wanted people to know that she had a family. It was also to keep the husband because she could not have kids of her own.”
The following Christmas, a visit from her father brought about a turning point. He noticed her emaciated appearance and saw through her fabricated explanation of intense involvement in extramural sporting activities: Ndaba insisted that she was losing weight because she was participating in several extra mural sporting activities. Her father, however, knew she was lying, and he took her back to Zimbabwe, where she was placed with another family.
Ndaba’s candid account of her childhood offers a powerful testament to the resilience of the human spirit. Her journey, marked by hardship, abuse, and the unwavering support of her grandmother, ultimately shaped her into the accomplished actress and entrepreneur she is today.
