22-07-2025
‘My time has finally come': Uzalo's Duduzile Ngcobo wins first award at 58
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Duduzile Ngcobo was awarded Best Supporting Actress after only one previous nomination in 2021.
She made her first red-carpet appearance at the awards and wore a cow skin outfit symbolising woman strength.
She said her children and father played crucial roles in supporting her career from the beginning.
Uzalo actress Duduzile Ngcobo recently received her first-ever recognition for her contribution to the entertainment industry, at the age of 58. The milestone happened at the Simon Mabhunu Sabela KZN Film & Television Awards, where she was honoured with the Best Supporting Actress in TV award.
Fighting back tears, a visibly emotional Ngcobo repeatedly expressed gratitude to her children, neighbours, family, colleagues and supporters.
'I don't want to cry because my makeup will be ruined,' she said as tears flooded her eyes behind the spectacles she wore on the day of the ceremony.
Speaking backstage to City Press shortly after accepting her award, Ngcobo was still overwhelmed.
I can't believe this. Pinch me.
Duduzile Ngcobo
With a decade of acting experience, Ngcobo has appeared in productions including eHostela, Durban Gen, A Soweto Love Story and Isithembiso. Despite her lengthy career, this was her first award, following a single prior nomination at the same awards in 2021 when she was still with Durban Gen, which was later canned.
The win also marked her first red-carpet appearance.
'What makes me happy is that all this happened at home, in KwaZulu-Natal, where my umbilical cord was buried. It surely means that you should never turn your back on home,' she said.
Ngcobo said she was grateful that the awards organisers had been watching her journey since Durban Gen. She further said she was not counting the years she had been in the industry without any proper recognition; she was focused on the craft.
'Everyone has their own time. If your time has not yet come, do not be jealous of other people or wish for their things; wait patiently. If you work hard and with love, your things will find you,' she said.
As she laughed, she added:
My time has finally come. This award will always be with me. I am even going to sleep with it until December.
Duduzile Ngcobo
The Umakoti Wethu actress said she was especially grateful to her three children and her father, who had supported her from the beginning. She shared how her two older children used to drive her to auditions and helped her run lines, while her father assisted in translating scripts.
She also thanked her neighbours, the Stained Glass TV's cast and crew, and her supporters, saying they all played a part in her journey.
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Ngcobo expressed appreciation for the Uzalo team, saying they gave her the respect she deserved as an elder and trusted her work.
'Sometimes when I am not at work, I feel lonely because when I am there, it is nice. I make so much noise, they reprimand me all the time. I thank the crew more than anything. I can feel their love,' she said.
On the night of the awards, Ngcobo wore a cow skin outfit from head to toe, which she said symbolised the giant woman within her. She called herself a powerful woman, drawing inspiration from historical women figures, such as Princess Mkabayi kaJama and Queen Nandi kaBhebhe.
