The award-winning actress Elizabeth Serunye, who’s been playing fan-favourite character Jacobeth Thobakgale in Skeem Saam for a decade was a cakes vendor before landing roles on TV. ELIZABETH SERUNYE: ‘I HAVE TRIED SO MANY THINGS’
The popular actress Elizabeth Serunye tells Sunday World that she tried many things before becoming the well-known Skeem Saam character Jacobeth Thobakgale from selling cakes to working in retail.
“I have tried so many things in my life. This goes from selling cakes by the street corner to working in retail,” Serunye says.
Today she’s currently watched by millions of viewers who are fascinated by her character and her longtime nemesis, Alfred Magongwa, played by Putla Sehlapelo.
Thobakgale was dethroned from her role as principal at Turfloop High since the inception of the show this season and Alfred, who was vice scored the role.
“Miss Thobakgale just feels the need to go but you know, sometimes you should fight for what you believe in as I did in my life, we’ll see how the storyline develops,” she says.
OTHER ROLES BEFORE ‘SKEEM SAAM’
The 51-year-old actress better known as “Batista” to her learners at Turfloop High tells the publication she started acting training in 1986 in her hometown of Alexandra, a township north of Johannesburg.
She lost some gigs, worked in retail, and landed a role at age 23 on Dinnete Tsa Bophelo.
She also got an acting gig the same year, 2001 on SABC1’s soapie Generations, and later She bagged a role on e.tv’s canned soapie Rhythm City as Rose and later joined Skeem Saam in 2011 as the strict and focused principal.
She’s also appeared on The Coconuts, Mzee Wa Two Six, and Ga Re Dumele.