Bio
Helen Ndamase is a South African actress best known for her role as Ayanda’s blind mother, Thembela, on the SABC1 drama series Tshisa, since 2006.
Ndamase was born the eldest of four children in Soweto and graduated with a Bachelor of Business Administration from Unisa.
She had registered for her Honours in Industrial Psychology when, on 14 February 2005, she lost her eyesight.
She had always had problems with her one eye. After a procedure involving injections, her eyes started to bleed, soaking her retinas and forcing doctors to detach them. Two operations to restore them have not been successful.
Helen works at the National Organisation For The Blind South Africa. She’s a counselor for disabled people with HIV and Aids, though she prefers to call herself “differently abled”.
Helen’s dream was to make a documentary of her story and through her role in she's been given the voice she wanted the opportunity to share.