How Nomzamo Mbatha has owned 2018

It has been a very big year for Nomzamo Mbatha. This year alone, the Isibaya actress has achieved what many people only dream of. Whether it’s doing humanitarian work around the world, walking the biggest red carpet shows, or cracking a spot on a Forbes list, Nomzamo has shown that she’s on top of her game. We’ve enjoyed watching the rise of this star, especially this year. Let’s look at why Nomzamo has owned 2018.

A degree in the bag

There was a huge celebration when Nomzamo graduated this year. The media personality received her BCom Accounting Degree at the University of Cape Town back in April. If you’ve been following her career, you’ll know that the media personality dropped out of university a few years ago.

On the day of her graduation, Nomzamo explained that dropping out was due to financial reasons.

“I dropped out of university for financial reasons amongst many other things and it took me more time to finish this degree than the peers I started with. I was gutted. Going back to finish off the race was not easy.”

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She encouraged others to have resilience and courage. “You will overcome,” she added.

A voice for the voiceless

Not only did she make news for receiving her qualification, Nomzamo also had people cheering her on because she made a statement with the dress she wore at her graduation. The dress had the South African Depression and Anxiety Group’s contact details. Nomzamo, who lost her younger sister to suicide a few years ago, has been very vocal about mental health.

Speaking about her dress, she said on Instagram: “I wanted the pictures of my late baby sister, Carla, late older sister, Matu, my late father, Nicholas Nxumalo and the greatest love of my life, the woman who named me Nomzamo, my late grandmother, MamJoli. The many tragedies I had to survive.”

The 28-year-old also advocates for other causes that are close to her heart. During an interview on Metro FM in July, she said that she will continue advocating for refugees and mental illness.

A nod from Forbes magazine

Making it into the Forbes list is something that a lot of people dream of! To be honest, being recognised by this magazine is perhaps one of the biggest nods a person can get. And Nomzamo knows exactly what that feels like. This year she was featured on Forbes Africa’s 30 Under 30 list, which was a huge achievement for her.

“My heart is full,” she commented about this milestone on Instagram.

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“Thank you Forbes Africa for this incredible honour and inclusion. Joining a School of Thought Leaders that I admire and am inspired by is a deeply profound recognition.”

She thanked her team and everyone else for believing in and rooting for her. “It’s such a rewarding feeling to know that someone sees your work and efforts,” she added.

Mbokodo award winner

We reckon Nomzamo believes in giving her all in everything that she does, and thankfully for her, hard work never goes unnoticed. Another special milestone for the actress was receiving an Mbokodo Award, meaning that she has been recognised for her contribution within the arts industry. Although she couldn’t make it to the event as she was out of the country, Nomzamo sent a special message of gratitude.

She said: “The Mbokodo Awards for me have always been a symbol of inspiration, a symbol of true womanhood, and a symbol of absolute excellence. It’s a reminder to each other that we are the light, and we are the change that we must see in the world…”

Directorial debut

You don’t know how happy we were after learning that Nomzamo was releasing her directorial debut, a short film titled “Ncese”. The project was in collaboration with Ambitiouz entertainment and stars her Isibaya co-star Sdumo Mtshali, and Lockdown’s Zola Nombona.

Nomzamo has clearly conquered owned 2018 and we can’t wait to see what else she has in store for us. For now, you can keep up with the actress on Isibiya right here on Showmax.

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