"They were the first directors I worked with when I started my career, that has been one of the highlights. And also, working with Danica Jones so closely has been fun"

"I am happy to be reunited with Sanele Zulu (series producer) and Sthembiso Mathenjwa (director)"

"In primary school I was exposed to drama; I had this itch to perform. I knew then I would be an actress one day. When Gibson Kente brought one of his shows to town I was convinced it was my calling. I turned and said to my uncle 'this is what I'm going to do, Act!' He shouted at me, saying I'm crazy because how will this acting thing pay for my livelihood. He maintained it was a not a real job"

"I'm born this way. People may be surprised though that in reality I am rather quiet - still funny, but quiet"

"I tap into three different personas to bring out the best of the character. I look at people I know. The cheeky aunties who take no nonsense and those women who think they are up there when they are not. I improvise on set too"

"But the crowd loved me and I have since decided stand-up is something I will do one day"

"Needless to say I spoke for 20 minutes. People laughed with me, not at me - much to the annoyance of some high-profile female comedian who tried to belittle me. She was annoyed, saying people who think they are funny will speak more than five minutes while speaking nonsense"

"I was booked to appear in Kimberley at the Diamonds and Dorings Music Festival. They told me I need to make jokes for like five minutes on stage. I was so petrified because I didn't know what to do. But they paid the money so I had no choice but to go."

"I’m not that strict and I like sharing jokes with people. I am able to engage with the youth, I am able to converse with youngsters and also offer them advice suitable for them. I often use my experiences when teaching them life lessons"

"I want my children to say Our mom raised us to be who we truly are, The joy of having my coffee with NESTLÉ CREMORA after spending my past lying that I love my coffee black but the truth was I NEEDED SOME CREAM IN IT"

"The taxi industry is intimidating and it is still male-dominated and you can see that when you attend meetings. Despite everything that is happening to it, I am here to make money just like others"

"I tried my luck in the taxi industry because I believe that we all come to this world carrying different keys to open different life doors. Since I am also a motivational speaker I always say that we all need to tap into those other talents that we have and explore them. I am that person who is never satisfied with where I am"

"Looking at where I am at I say it is God's grace. What I know is that when I was growing up I saw myself on TV but I never thought that one day I’d be where I am on Friday. God has made it happen for me. Winning the two awards just proves that women are capable of presenting African traditional music shows. The statuettes encourage me to even work harder though many male maskandi fans still believe in a male presenter. What people do not know is that radio is my life and I grew up singing maskandi. I am Zulu woman who is proud of her culture that is why I enjoy presenting the show"

"I believe the characters that I have played so far are not challenging enough. I still want to play a lead role and just unleash what I am feeling inside. I want to explore gangsters’ roles and play a character of someone who has this massive anger"

"In this industry, one can make you feel inferior because they themselves are empty inside, shame souls. I'm Nomsa Buthelezi-Shezi. I'm content with myself and I don't need to kiss your toes to make you like me"

"My children and I have a very open relationship and we talk about everything. They understand my sexuality. Yes, they were bullied at school but my children made the other children understand that 'hey! If your mother has a husband, then my mother can have a wife and that's that"

"Dear big girl, breath. Joy comes in the morning. Hold on. I'm proudly queer and I'm a big girl with talent. Being kind is free"

"Have you ever been down but you keep smiling? I go through homophobic slurs almost daily but they never sat down with me and to know my sexuality is not a disease. In the industry, I keep on being told 'you don't look the part', but they never gave me a chance. Kubuhlungu. Even those you call family spit on you"

"The joy of being me and having people that appreciate me for MY TRUTH is PRICELESS"

"Knowing that everyone has RIGHTS and government now recognizes the LGBTIQIA+ Community as people that need their protection and their respect too"

"An inclusive South Africa means Freedom to live, it means a Country where I'm not seen differently. A safe country for all who live in it, where I get men who respect a Lesbian woman and not feel inferior because I married a woman not a man"

"Your wedding day is all about you and your partner sharing your happiness with your family and close friends. I’ve decided that I won’t have any bridesmaid at my wedding. I’ve had too many friends turn on me, so only my children will be at the front with me. The few good friends that I do have will wear a special colour that matches with ours to show who they are"

"As a same-sex couple, we have had way too many people smile with us, only to turn and say nasty things about us. Or people that pretend to be happy for us, but wish bad things for us. We don’t want such energy on our wedding day"

"You would think I’m focused on things like décor, food and outfits, but I am not. I know exactly what I want when it comes to those kinds of elements and my wedding will be simple, but perfect. I’ve been more focused on making sure that the people who are there deserve to be there"

"I was worried what other people would say. It was a tug of war of emotions. Eventually, I had no choice, I had to dive in"

"When I failed and took my gap year, my parents were stressing about my situation. I always loved acting and acted in church productions, but I was afraid of it"

"I was under pressure trying to understand the character while figuring mannerism. I just told myself that I will focus on bonding with the character while navigating the storyline. I was able to build a relationship with all characters"

"One-minute I am myself, the next minute I am Nomaswazi or Dr Zondo. At some point it felt like I was suffering from bipolar. I would struggle to get time to detox these characters and had to do justice to all of them."

"It’s only sinking now that I am on Uzalo. I had to figure out the storyline, and had little time to it. It was hectic having to shoot two shows. It was either a start at Uzalo set then go to Durban Gen, or start at Durban Gen and finished my day off at Uzalo."

"It was a major shift and I was dealing with professionals. I was nervous about the whole situation. It was an interesting space and also getting into full-time acting meant that every day I am on set and have to know my lines"

"With the book club, I wanted children to be inspired more because children are reserved and they cannot express themselves. That is why you find children being abused, but they don’t tell anyone about it because they cannot express themselves"

"From an early age, I learnt to have courage after seeing my community protesting and fighting against apartheid."

"I am everything that my heart desires to be. I am a woman, an artist, a lover of life and most importantly, a woman living a purposeful life. I am thankful for the gift of life and the chance to do what I love"

"I realised that children nowadays don’t read because they enjoy it, they read because their teachers or parents tell them to. I want to change that. Through reading, the children are stimulated and their minds are broadened because reading inspires you and takes you places"

"I want to see more children, not only reading books, but being able to turn the books into plays and writing their own books because I think children would enjoy reading books that are written by their own peers"

"I have a mother who is very passionate about the arts and she has always been very supportive of my craft. I believe parents should support their children but the most important thing is that as a child you need to work at making your parents understand your craft. Convince them that this is not just entertainment, but is like any other career. Your parents will take it seriously if they see you take it seriously"

"I embrace my emotions, weaknesses and strengths. I love being a woman"

"I love that I am liberated and have the freedom to be a phenomenal woman because of the strides they took"

"I love that I draw my strength from the strong women who fought against oppression and marched in 1956"

"Today, I am a fearless and driven artist because I was always surrounded by like-minded people"

"I had to learn to find balance the hard way"

"as long as I am part of a creative process and part of a process of change, I am happy"

"Friends and colleagues within the communities that I represent have nagged me silly for years … I was so often booked as a training facilitator or MC and inevitably, my personal stories became a part of that job description … it became a natural growth"

"I love working with my hands so any craft keeps me happy as I can’t sit still for long. I also love cooking – that must be the Portuguese part kicking in"

"follow what you are passionate about and to commit to it with all your heart; success will find you"

"People forget that sometimes, manners and professionalism leaves a lasting memory"

"I am convinced the talent police are around the corner"

"As an actress, a performance happens in the dark … you hear your audience and there is a connection of energy but you don’t necessarily see them and you are busy pretending to be someone else"

"It is not something I'm looking forward to or looking at all. I'm not with anybody, but I'm not interested. I'm not looking forward to be with anybody because that is not my focus."

"Whenever I am in a relationship, I go all out for the person. I always put the people I love ahead of my needs. When I am in a relationship, I invest all my energy and resources which ends up draining me and slowing me down. I get turned off when I realize the affection is only one-sided."