Chronicle Editor
She’s a force to be reckoned with both on and off-screen. She’s vibey, confident, and quick with a joke.
This is why viewers have fallen in love with her portrayal of Khelina on DiepCity. And with every new storyline, they keep falling in love with her.
Right now she has her partner on his toes with all the romance she is serving and viewers cannot get enough.
She often receives compliments from strangers and fans about her confidence. She fully embraces who she is and easily walks around with a crop-top without any worries and body image insecurities.
In an interview with Drum, actress, and comedian, Lebohang Mpyana said that perhaps she was created with an extra dose of confidence.
“I was born with it. Anything that is in my shop and is my size, I buy and wear it. Why did they make that size, which means we can wear it?” she asks.
“That’s just me. When it comes to confidence I will hurt you,” Lebohang jokes.
It is this confidence that has allowed her to walk into opportunities.
Born and raised in Limpopo, she knew without any doubt that her destiny was in acting, even though she did not know how the then far-fetched dream would happen.
Hailing from Ga-Mokgokong in Moletjie Village, being on national television does not sound too realistic but the actress says: “I was born for the arts.”
She tells us she took a chance and it paid off with this role on undeniably one of Mzansi Magic’s most-watched dramas.
In 2020, as she could not go to gigs as a comedian in her home province due to the Covid-19 pandemic, she decided to take her craft to social media.
“It was my way of trying to make money. Some people would ask me to advertise their businesses through videos,” she tells us.
When the opportunity came, she auditioned for Mandla N (DiepCity’s production company) online.
“They didn’t call me for months, I thought they had forgotten about me. But when I got the call in January 2021, I knew this was a golden opportunity.”
To those wishing to get this kind of opportunity, Lebogang says you just need to believe in yourself without reservation.
“Hard work and determination are needed. Always tell yourself that you are the best. Tell yourself that no one will be like you. Don’t wait for people to tell you that,” she adds.
And there’s certainly no one like Khelina. She’s made such an impression on fans that she’s often asked to impersonate her in real life. She does not mind at all. Her big and bold personality is always ready to put on a show.
“I am known for my whistle on the show. So in public, I am asked to do it,” Lebohang laughs.
She plays a woman who went to Johannesburg for work and left her children behind in Limpopo as she tries to make ends meet. The nosey Khelina has now fallen in love with Ringo, played by Obed Baloyi.
Viewers first saw this duo as Tom and Jerry, people who just never seemed to get along. But now they have crossed that line with sleepovers and breakfast in bed in the mix.
Ringo seemed a little bit overwhelmed by the smothering love from Khelina while openly receiving all the nice perks of having a woman head over heels in love with him. He tries to keep the relationship under wraps. But now,
Ringtone is ready to commit as the story unfolds.Well, Lebohang reckons, the ‘under-carpet’ kind of relationships don’t work.
“As a lady, you must know your worth. Why would a man want to hide you? It means there are qualities he doesn’t like about you or you are not worth it. He is ashamed of you,” she says.
“They (viewers) must just stay tuned because their love is on fire,” she adds.
But for other women who find themselves being a hidden secret, Lebohang says “my sister just run. It shows that he uses you.”
Lebogang still can’t believe how TV viewers, not only in South Africa but across the region have embraced her for her first-ever acting role on-screen which is no small feat.
“It’s a beautiful thing, it’s so amazing. I did not expect the response especially for me, a rural girl, to see that I can make it.” — Drum
Online Reporter