Sinokubonga Nkala
Taboka Tshuma, Sunday Life Reporter
IN a captivating episode of Relebogile Mabotja’s podcast, veteran actress Sophie Ndaba, beloved as
Queen Moroka from the iconic soap opera Generations, opened up about her challenging childhood spent in the shadows of poverty.
With a poignant narrative that tugs at the heartstrings, Ndaba shared the trials of growing up in a family where her father battled diabetes and her mother worked tirelessly as the sole provider.
Despite her mother’s relentless efforts, the family faced insurmountable struggles.
She said her grandfather was from Zimbabwe.
At just eight-years-old, Ndaba found herself sent to live with her sister and her husband on a farm in Harare, Zimbabwe, marking the beginning of her journey toward a brighter future.
In the podcast, the TV star shared her experience in Zimbabwe where she recalled how she was forced to adapt to a new environment and struggled to adjust to her new surroundings.
“I felt uncomfortable with the way my sister’s husband would carry himself around me, the goodnight kisses and hugs were inappropriate, it was the complete opposite of what my grandmother had taught me that no one should ever touch me or get close. I eventually asked to be sent to a boarding school,” she said.
Ndaba revealed that she was later accepted into a children’s home in Eastlea, Harare, where she was sworn into secrecy that she had no parents as it was a sponsored orphanage.
It was at the orphanage that she lived and attended her primary school.
After completing her primary school education, Ndaba’s life took a dramatic turn when a well-wisher from a wealthy family offered to take her in.
She was taken to a home in Morningside, Bulawayo, where she met two other children who were also being fostered and were of the same age as her.
“I attended Montrose High School, but life in the foster home was not easy, I remember how our foster mum one day told us that children do not sleep in the bedrooms they sleep outside. From that day, together with the other girl and boy, would sleep outside on the concrete floor. We would bath outside with cold water and were given porridge without sugar to eat because according to mum, sugar was for adults.
“I remember how the boy would often steal or beg for cents from his friends at school so that he could buy us bread and butter for lunch and we would eat so fast so that mum and the nanny would not see us,” she said.
Ndaba’s fortune changed when her father came to see her and upon noticing how skinny she had become, he decided to take her back to her sister’s home in Harare suspicious that his daughter was being abused.
“I remember the day my father came to visit me, he tried to question me about the life we were living and I denied I was abused. I told him I had joined gymnastics and swimming at school which was why I was slim but deep down I knew my father had noticed I was not fine, he kept questioning,” said Ndaba.
She revealed that it was then that she was sent back to Harare where she was taken to another wealthy family.
She did Form 2 in Harare and would work in the family business on weekends, learning valuable skills, which was when her love for business started.
Life, however, took another dramatic turn when she fell pregnant at the age of 16 after being impregnated by the family’s son, who was in his 20s.
“I had to come back home after finding out I was pregnant, the family I was staying with offered that I marry their son and I left on the basis that I was going to inform my parents about the marriage arrangements but I never went back.
“I wanted to stand on my own and be independent. I had to take care of my family because life was so difficult then, our financial situation at home had worsened,” she said.
Despite these obstacles, she remained resilient and determined to overcome them. Sophie then embarked on starting a small business to support her family, drawing upon the various skills she had acquired in Zimbabwe from crafting flowers to cooking and selling meat.
Additionally, she volunteered as a presenter, which eventually led to an opportunity to audition for a role.
The audition catapulted her to fame in the television soapie, Generations, where she portrayed the character of Queen Moroka. From there, she rose to become an award-winning actress, starring in various television soap operas such as Yizo Yizo, Soul City, High Rollers Season 2, She is King and Lockdown, among others.
In addition to her acting career, she has become a successful businesswoman, running a wedding planning company and another business called Sophie on Wellness, which focuses on health issues.
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