Mthokozisi Ncube
FROM the revered Pastor Charleston Ncube on television to the ever-drunk Uncle Sam on social media, award-winning Bulawayo-born actor Chrispen Nyathi has mastered the art of transformation, but behind the comic character is an actor fighting to stay relevant in an unforgiving entertainment industry.
After rising to fame through his role in South African telenovela DiepCity, Nyathi discovered that even household names can find themselves without acting jobs, forcing him to turn to content creation to keep his career alive between gigs.
His hilarious portrayal of Uncle Sam has since opened another creative chapter, allowing him to entertain thousands of followers online while waiting for the next acting opportunity.
But beneath the laughter, skits and social media following lies a simple truth: Nyathi still considers himself an actor first, with content creation serving as a survival strategy in an industry where work is never guaranteed.
“I am an actor first before being a social media personality,” he said in an interview with B-Metro.
For Nyathi, the move into content creation was not about abandoning acting but finding a way to remain visible when television opportunities became scarce.
“After DiepCity, everything went silent. I started doing adverts, but they don’t pay that much. The money did not push through the whole year,” he said.
Faced with the prospect of disappearing from the entertainment scene, he decided to take matters into his own hands.
“I then started content creation to avoid disappearing,” he said.
The strategy has helped him build an impressive online following of 696 000 on TikTok and 493 000 on Facebook, where his content allows him to showcase a different side of his talent.
Yet Nyathi’s journey to fame was anything but an overnight success.
He spent 2016 and 2017 taking background roles, commonly known as extra roles, before gradually securing speaking parts in television productions.
“I started as an extra in most films. I did that from 2016 to 2017. In 2018, I started getting lines in shows such as Isithembiso. Then I got a chance to audition for The Queen. I really grabbed the opportunity,” he said.
He later featured in the Afrikaans-language drama Binnelanders and the South African reality series Ufakazi, experiences that helped him develop his craft.
His breakthrough came with DiepCity, where his portrayal of Pastor Charleston Ncube brought him widespread recognition.
“My blow-up was in DiepCity. It was playing on prime-time television. It took me seven years to get that role,” he said.
The role earned him the Viewer’s Choice Best Actor award at the 2021 Royalty Soapie Awards, followed by the Outstanding Supporting Actor award at the 2024 edition of the same awards.
Despite the accolades, the industry proved unpredictable, with acting opportunities drying up after DiepCity and forcing him to explore alternative ways of earning a living and maintaining his public profile.
His fortunes improved in 2024, which he described as his busiest year, when he secured two acting contracts simultaneously.
He played Polite in Isiphetho and Bhodo in Queendom, further demonstrating his versatility as a performer.
Another standout role was Raisin in Cobrizi, a spin-off of The River, which gave him the chance to move beyond the familiar church-going characters audiences had come to associate with him.
“I like Raisin from Cobrizi. It was one of my favourite characters of all time. The character was something different. I usually played church-guy characters, but this was something different,” he said.
Now, through Uncle Sam, Nyathi is exploring yet another character, using comedy and social media to connect with audiences beyond traditional television.
Away from the screen, he hopes to return to Zimbabwean productions, saying there is a special freedom in working at home.
“I still want to feature in productions in Zimbabwe. There is just freedom in working ekhaya,” he said.
He also dreams of venturing into music, particularly gospel and Afro-soul, although a voice infection he suffered in 2024 affected those plans.
For now, the actor is focused on sharpening his skills and becoming a better performer.
“I just want to be the best actor I can be. At some point I did get tired, but I am back and taking lessons as well,” he said.
Nyathi believes Zimbabwe has the potential to develop a thriving film and television industry but says more must be done to create opportunities for local performers.
He called on the Government to establish platforms that would help actors showcase their talent, secure work and build sustainable careers.
“One of the biggest revenue sources in the USA is Hollywood, so the Government should not sleep,” he said.
He also encouraged young people hoping to break into the entertainment industry to remain patient and persistent.
“To the youth, keep on pushing. Hopefully one day it will blow, as Zimbabwe is making progress,” he said.
For now, whether he is delivering lines as Pastor Charleston or making audiences laugh as Uncle Sam, Nyathi is determined to keep his talent in the spotlight, even when the cameras on a television set stop rolling.
