15 November 2019
Ifalakhe: Nkanyamba is evil incarnate
He’s a witch doctor who has been the cause of our many sleepless nights ever since Ifalakhe began. But his evil ways are part of why we admire his performance so much.
“Ingabe iyozala nkomoni?” (“What will become of you?”). This is a Zulu phrase that continues to traumatise viewers who religiously watch Ifalakhe every Sunday night, and it’s all thanks to Nkanyamba.
Nkanyamba may be evil, but we’re impressed by his sorcery
In most cases, evil characters are the least liked in a show; however, Nkanyamba, played by Thulane Shange, has left a mark on Ifalakhe viewers.
One of the many aspects of Nkanyamba that viewers have come to love is the jabs he always directs towards Nomvula and her son, Busani. Every opportunity he gets, Nkanyamba goes for the jugular with little to no remorse.
These jabs may cause us to cringe, but his raw and unfiltered comments are undeniably entertaining.
Remember when he told Nomvula to sit like a lady because she was spreading her legs all over his herbs? Poor Nomvula wasn’t even sitting inappropriately at all, but we guess that’s what you get for being obsessed with power and constantly nagging a witch doctor for his assistance.
And how about that time he embarrassed Busani when he told the young man that his whole existence was invisible to the gods. Quite a hard pill to swallow after being inaugurated as the next king to rule over your father’s kingdom.
Although Nkanyamba may be scary, viewers have overlooked his terrifying presence by admiring the actor that portrays such a dark-spirited character.
4 things you might not know about Thulane Shange
- Thulane Shange is best known for his roles on Mzansi Magic’s Is’thunzi, iKhaya and iNumber Number.
- The actor earned a Golden Horn Award nomination for Best Supporting Actor in a TV Drama Series.
- Although he is considered one of South Africa’s most talented young actors, Thulane has shared that he used to be very insecure about his acting. That’s quite difficult to believe, considering how he’s just nailing his craft.
- Not only is he a TV actor, but Thulane is also a motivational speaker, voice-over artist and an avid theatre performer.
Ifalakhe is infamous for killing off a lot of characters in every episode. We’re just holding thumbs that Nkanyamba isn’t on their hit list any time soon.
Stream new episodes of Ifalakhe every Sunday at 20:00.
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Binge-watch Great African Crimes with Mandy Wiener
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