Actress' journey from domestic worker to icon!

ICONIC actress Dr Thembi Mtshali-Jones says her journey to fame wasn't easy.

In the 1970s, she'd travel abroad and perform on big stages.

However, she'd come back home and work as a maid.

Dr Thembi said it was difficult to be regarded as a star elsewhere and be a maid at home.

But she pushed and focused on her music career, which got her here.

"It's been a long journey for me. Back in the 70s, my dad used to ask who would be so stupid to pay to see us sing and dance. We travelled overseas as Ipi Ntombi (a band she was part of). We came back, and at the time, I was working as a domestic worker. So, I'd go overseas and when I came back, there'd be nothing to do but that.

"There was no television at the time. There was only one radio station we could listen to, and our stories were only on the radio once in a while," she said.

The actress decided to stay abroad to focus on singing and dancing.

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"I went overseas again this one time, and I decided to stay there for a little while. I was hoping I could learn more and work there instead of coming back to work as a domestic worker. And during my travels, I met people like Miriam Makeba, who became my mother and mentored me. When I stopped working with Ipi Ntombi, I worked with her. I met her in Nigeria.

"I came back from the United States in the mid 80s and when I came back, my only background was music and dancing. My first home as an actress and be accepted and respected as an actress was the Market Theatre. I did my first production with Gcina Mhlophe," Dr Thembi said.

The actress then started getting into acting and not just focusing on singing and dancing.

"I used to be afraid to explore acting because I was a dancer and singer. But people would advise me and say I need to explore everything and not just focus on singing and dancing. But I persevered and worked hard. I thought I could do anything if I put my mind to it. I remember the show we did had done so well. It didn't mean I had arrived. It meant I had to start working hard. That was just the introduction. I worked hard.

"Shows like S'Gudi Snaysi found me in theatre. People think that S'Gudi Snaysi made me an actor, no! It found me on stage. I always encourage all actors to respect theatre because that's where you get baptised and challenged as an actor," the actress said.

Since then, she has starred on shows such as 90 Plein Street, Imbewu: The Seed, Home Affairs, as well as Stokvel.