Being proud of your native language is one of the most recommendable things you can do in life. Although we should be aware that as South Africans we are divided into many different languages, which makes communication more difficult in most cases, it is highly recommended that we speak English whenever we are speaking to someone who does not speak or understand our native language.
As a matter of fact, there are some people who are so stubborn that they refuse to learn any other languages other than their mother tongues or native languages. There are some South African celebrities who never speak English, even when giving serious interviews on television that are broadcast in multiple languages and are watched by people from all over the world.
For the purposes of this article, we will look at celebrities who only speak Zulu and never speak English at all. Here are the five of them in no particular order.
1. The Great Zulu
Siyabonga Nene, better known by his stage name ‘Big Zulu,’ is a South African rapper who was born in KwaZulu-Natal. He is best known for his hit song ‘Imali Eningi,’ which was released in 2020 and gained widespread popularity throughout South Africa and other African countries.
You’ve never heard Big Zulu say anything other than a single simple English sentence, have you? No! Neither he nor his writing are ever in English; even the captions on his social media posts are written in Zulu. Not long ago, he left Mzansi in awe after being interviewed by MacG on Podcast and Chill, during which he responded entirely in Zulu and did not utter a single English word, despite the fact that MacG does not fully understand the Zulu language. MacG even admitted that he only understood half of the interview because Big Zulu continued to speak in his de Zulu dialect.
2. Thembinkosi Mthembu (Thembinkosi Mthembu)
On the 1Magic telenovela The River, he portrays the role of Mabutho, a character he created. I’ve been under the impression that the reason why ‘Mabutho’ never speaks English on The River is because he is uneducated for quite some time. According to the results of the investigation, he also never uses it in real life.
Thembinkosi (27 years old) was invited to participate in the reality show ‘Living the dream with Somizi,’ where he cooked alongside Somizi and maintained his Zulu accent throughout. Even his Instagram posts are captioned in Zulu, which is a first for him. I’ve come to realize that he doesn’t actually speak English very well.
Lungelo Mpangase is the third member of the group.
She is best known for her role as ‘Khethiwe’ in the Mzansi Magic mini-series eHostela, in which she portrays the character of a young girl.
This 26-year-old KZN-born actress prefers to communicate in her native Zulu without difficulty. She also appears as Ntokozo/Iminathi in the Mzansi Magic mini-series Mzali wami, in which she portrays the character of Ntokozo/Iminathi. Have you ever heard her speak in a foreign language? She is always speaking Zulu, and she is the only one who speaks it.
4. Mondli Makhoba (also known as Mondli Makhoba)
The actor has appeared in a large number of South African films, soap operas, and television shows. He has never spoken English in any of these roles, and his massive Zulu accent makes him stand out in every scene he appears in.
This 43-year-old KwaZulu-Natal-born actress is currently starring as Nkosana on the Showmax drama series The Wife, in which she portrays her character. When Mondli communicates with his fans through videos, he only speaks in Zulu, which is inconvenient for those who do not understand Zulu.
5. Thobani Nzuza (Thobani Nzuza)
He was previously known for his role as Khehla on the popular soapie Uzalo, which aired on SABC 1. On the Mzansi Magic mini-drama series eHostela, he played the role of “Mndeni,” a character that he created.
This 28-year-old KZN-born actress is one of those people who enjoys captioning their social media posts in Zulu, as evidenced by her Instagram account. Even when he’s onscreen, he never speaks in English; he always speaks in his native Zulu.