Mary Twala: Shining star of SA stage and screen 1939-2020
Like a precious pearl or fine wine, her influence continued to grow with age as she won over new audiences
● Mary Kuksie Twala, who died recently in a Johannesburg hospital at the age of 80, captivated audiences for over six decades, starring in several local and internationally acclaimed theatre, TV and film projects.
She was born on September 14 1939 in Orlando East, Soweto, the eldest of eight siblings. Even at a young age she would entertain her family, including her mother Elizabeth, with her vibrant personality, often distracting from the hardships her family, like many, faced in the area at the time and later under apartheid.
She spent her formative years at the Dutch Reformed School and later transferred to the Methodist School on Albert Street in Johannesburg, before moving to Swaziland to attend the Swazi National High School.
Making a name
Returning to SA, she worked as a seamstress and in a factory but it wasn’t long before her star shone beyond the bustling streets of her neighbourhood and captured the attention of the playwright Gibson Kente. Twala impressed him with her singing and acting abilities while accompanying her late younger sister, Gigi, and a friend to an audition.
She landed a role in the productions Lifa, Sikalo, Mama and the Load and How Long, soon becoming a popular figure in Kente’s productions and a darling of Uncle Tom's Hall in Orlando West.
She had already made quite a name for herself when she met and fell in love with the comedian Ndaba “Mshefane” Mhlongo while working together. The pair later married and would remain sweethearts until his death in 1989. She spoke often of him in subsequent years and wore her wedding ring until her death.
She was his biggest supporter, including when he was nominated for a Tony Award for best choreography at the prestigious international theatre awards in 1988.
The pair worked hard to maintain their family, even though they sometimes struggled to make ends meet, and in 1972 they welcomed a baby boy, Somizi.
Twala continued to act in several major productions, including u’Deliwe’, Taxi to Soweto and Hlala Kwabafileyo until she captured the world’s attention in her role as the mother of Leleti Khumalo in the 1992 film Sarafina!, which premiered at the Cannes Film Festival. The film also featured Somizi as Fire, a student leader who played a key role in the Soweto uprising.
She would later light up TV screens on shows such as Soul Buddyz, Khululeka, Yizo-Yizo, SOS and Muvhango.
Like a precious pearl or fine wine, Twala’s influence continued to grow with age as she won over new audiences and collected awards, including a Golden Horn for her role as Makhambu in the comedy series Skwizas.
She was honoured with a lifetime achievement award at the Naledi Theatre Awards in 2016 for her contribution to the performing arts.
Two years later, in 2018, she collected another lifetime achievement award at the Mbokodo Awards.
Gruelling role
Last year, President Cyril Ramaphosa awarded her one of the highest accolades bestowed by the South African government, the Order of Ikhamanga, in recognition of her versatility and longevity in the entertainment industry. The order also honoured the star for her work in raising awareness of women’s health.
Despite her age and long-time struggles with diabetes, Twala agreed to take on the gruelling role of a widow named Mantoa in the film This is Not a Burial, It’s a Resurrection, which was released last year.
Filming in the remote mountains of Lesotho and at the mercy of harsh weather, Twala was sometimes carried by horseback or even on the back of crew members to shooting locations.
It would be her last project before her failing health left her in and out of hospital for several months.
She is survived by her three sisters, Sti, Zanele and Gabsile; her children, Joyce and Somizi; her grandchildren, Phumzile, Wolly and Bahumi; and her great-grandchildren, Lwandza, Llenhle and Lesedi.