KARIEGA – A young woman from KwaNobuhle, in Kariega is set to grace the screens of one of South Africa’s longest-running soapies, proving once again that talent from this Kariega township can reach the biggest stages.

Hlumela Tini (25), a rising star in television and theatre, has landed a role on Generations: The Legacy, where she will play the stepdaughter of a well-known hip-hop artist.

For a community more often overlooked than celebrated, her breakthrough is a proud moment, and a reminder that dreams born on the streets of KwaNobuhle can find their way into millions of living rooms across the country.

Speaking to UD Express, Tini shared that she grew up a shy girl, who loved drama. “I did love acting from a young age, but I was shy. I was also an athlete in my schooling years, running to be specific.”

She added how her acting came about. “I started the acting journey after high school, because at school, I was always told to finish my matric and then I could pursue other things, like acting. That’s how it all started.”

Tini became more interested in acting post high school. “In 2023, I moved to KuGompo City and attended school at Sonwa Sakuba Institute for the Performing Arts, where I did musical theatre. My main module was dance, but we also had to do drama, singing and acting. I believe the school made me more comfortable being on the stage and took my shyness away. I suffered from the ‘What will people think,’ syndrome, which made me not try things as much.”

She added that she also took part in the Sarafina rendition and performed at the National Arts Festival in Makhanda.

“I believe that taking part in the Sarafina rendition in Makhanda was what got me seen. I didn’t have a character, I was just a background actor and dancer. While performing, there were directors and producers. After a few days of performing, the directors and producers reached out to me, telling me to take part in the 48 Hour Challenge, held in KuGompo City and they saw me as a protagonist.”

Tini added, “At the time, I didn’t see myself on screen. I believed that I was a theatre actor, but they saw something in me. Although I didn’t have a character, they said they understood the story through my character in the way that I was acting. When they asked whether I wanted to be the main character of the 48 Hour Challenge, I agreed, and that was the first time I acted on screen. Besides, I didn’t study screen acting.”

Fast-forward to 2025, Tini moved to Gauteng province to study drama for a year, where she learnt about stage theatre and screen acting, radio and presenting.

“In that period, I was able to attend gigs as a background actress, with the help of my teacher. That was my first time meeting television actors. That’s how I broke into the entertainment industry.”

Sharing how she got the role in Generations: The Legacy, she shared that she hasn’t been with Slakzin Casting for long.

“I joined early this month and I got the lead to audition for the role through them telling me that the role suits me. They have been supportive of me from the get-go. Even though I have not met the casting agency in person, they have still helped me and also connected me with many other actors and actresses.”

She doubted whether she would be chosen for the role, but tried nonetheless, which for her, paid off. Regarding the role she got, Tini said she is the step-daughter of a well-known hip-hop artist, and still does not know who her mother is. “I will see them on Thursday at rehearsal,” she said.

“I will be a child who loves social media, like TikTok, Instagram, etc. There isn’t much about my character yet, because the brief said only that I must be a social media person,” she said.

Sharing her biggest challenge in the industry, she said, has to be not getting booked enough.

“As an actor, you can go a long period without being booked. Another thing is pressure of having to live up to other people’s expectations. However, being booked is definitely the biggest challenge, because you never know when you will be called. In this, I learnt that I need to be patient and not put all my eggs in one basket. Also, that it is important to have a back up plan.”

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