Themba Ndaba is a South African actor who became active in the movie industry as far back as 1990. Being in the industry for about 3 decades, it is safe to say he has done quite well for himself by winning several awards and featuring in drama series, telenovelas as well as films. His role in the tv series The Queen earned him widespread recognition.
Themba Ndaba also became known for his marriage to Generations actress, Sophie Ndaba who is now known as Sophie Lichaba. The two got married for less than a decade before they parted ways in divorce.
Summary of Themba Ndaba
- Full name: Themba Ndaba
- Place of birth: Soweto Gauteng
- Date of birth: 14th February 1965
- Nationality: South African
- Education: Harare Polytechnic, University of South Africa(Unisa)
- Occupation: Actor and Director
- Spouse: Josey Ndaba
- Former wife: Sophie Ndaba (divorced)
- Children: Rudo Ndaba, Lwande Ndaba, Sibusiso Ndaba
- Net worth: $5 million
Interesting Facts About Themba Ndaba
1. Biography and early life of Themba Ndaba
It was on 14 February 1965 that Themba Ndaba was born in South Africa. However, he was brought up in Swaziland. He obtained his early education at Saint Mark High School from where he graduated in 1982. After high school, he proceeded to Zimbabwe where he was educated in economics and statistics.
2. He has no formal training in acting
Taking a look at his educational profile, there is nothing that suggests that Themba has any formal studies in entertainment arts. He has a national diploma in Business Studies, Theology in leadership & life training from the University of South Africa.
3. He was brought up by parents who were missionaries
The parents of the talented actor were Anglican missionaries who did most of their mission work in Swaziland. His diploma in Theology was probably influenced by the background he had while growing up with them. It is believed that their decision to move to Swaziland could have been due to the fact that they were trying to flee the hostile conditions of apartheid in South Africa.
4. He worked as a banker before he switched to acting
The talent of Themba can easily make one believe he has always been an actor all the days of his life, but even before the world of make-belief, he first had a career as a banker after studying economics in Harare. He returned to Harare Polytechnic to obtain a higher diploma in Business Studies before going to the University of South Africa, where he obtained the aforementioned theology diploma in leadership and life training.
5. The actor walked down the aisle twice
Even though Themba Ndaba has enjoyed what can be said to be a stable career, his love life is not very much of a smooth sail. He has been married twice thus far. The first marriage of the actor was to actress, Sophie Ndaba. The pair tied the knot in 1998. How the pair first met was never revealed, but it is no secret that they both studied in Harare, Zimbabwe at almost the same time, hence, it has been speculated that it was possible there that they first met. By 2007, the marriage came to a sad end in divorce.
Four years after the marriage ended, Themba Ndaba walked down the aisle a second time. This time around, he got married to a woman who is not in the entertainment industry whose name is Josey Ndaba although she is mostly referred to as just J Ndaba.
6. He is a father of 3 children
He has three children, two of which are from his marriage with his ex-wife, Sophie, and the youngest son was born by his current wife, Josey. Some unconfirmed sources are however of the opinion that Themba has only 2 children, further revealing that his oldest child, Rudo is not his biological child and that Sophie gave birth to Rudo while she was still a teenager but following her marriage to Themba, they both decided to co-parent the child. The other 2 children are Lwandle Ndaba and Sibusiso.
7. His son is also in showbiz
It is not surprising to realize that Lwandle Ndaba who is a fruit of Sophie and Themba Ndaba is also in the entertainment business just like his parents. However, he has chosen the music business, for now, over acting. He drew the attention of South Africa in 2021 after he released a track in which he accused his mother’s husband, Max Lichaba of assaulting and cheating on his mother.
Lwandle is now a rapper who goes by the name Ocean L. One of his most-talked-about songs is the track in which he attacked Ma, My Step Dad A Devil.
See Also: Nandi Mbatha – 10 Facts Worth Knowing About The South African Actress
8. He has clinched many awards and turned down a nomination in 2019
The veteran actor has won several awards in his career thus far. He has won both SAFTA and AMAA awards in the category of Best Actor in Leading role (for the movie series titled Hopeville) and also has the Best Actor award from DSTV viewer’s choice awards (for The Queen).
In 2019, Themba rejected a nomination for the Best Actor title for The Queen.” He later revealed that the reason why he rejected the nomination was that he wanted others to get a chance to also win. This gesture won him the admiration of many.
9. Ndaba was involved in a sex scandal case
Sometime in 2020, it was alleged that the seasoned actor was involved in a sex scandal. The scandal was alleged to be what cost him his role in the drama series, Queen. Even before it became clear that he had lost the role, there were speculations by popular entertainment commentator, Phil Mphela, that one of the casts of the show was involved in a scandal and would be leaving. It did not take too long before it became known that Unce Brutus was shown the exit door.
The allegations were said to have come as a result of complaints from other female cast members of the popular tv show.
10. He is quite rich
His net worth is an estimated R6 million dollars with his main source of income coming from his acting gigs as well business proceeds from his other media outlets. His take-home salary from the telenovela (Queens) is estimated to be between 30-35 thousand Rands. He is one of the most successful South African actors in recent times.
