Coming up on
Generations: The Legacy on Thursday 13 June 2024:
Didintle Khunou as Tumelo Gcabashe.
No relation to Uzalo's
long lost Gxhabashe but very much involved with Gen ledge Jack Mabaso.
A troubleshooter who looks set to take over One Glove's local operations.
We got our TVSA clutches on Tumelo's character bio to uncover the details on who she is.
It's the production brief used by the show while they were casting for the role which reveals her backstory and inner intentions.
It's what Didintle would have worked from to bring the character to life when she auditioned:
Public Occupation:
Tumelo works for a major legal company and manages their finances as the CFO.
People underestimate her when they first meet her, but she is confident and commands attention in a room.
She presents as a diligent and esteemed businessperson to the public.
Secret Occupation:
In the criminal world, Tumelo is associated with the Russians and Jack Mabaso.
She is the money person - the financial bridge between the undercover criminal operation and the oblivious public.
She is a fearless fighter - figuratively and literally. She has been around violence before.
She uses the softer traits she presents in public to manipulate her targets, or to get out of sticky situations.
She can play scared and vulnerable, but she is actually competent, smart, and dangerous. The audience learns of her fierce traits as Cosmo learns of them during the time he holds her hostage.
Traits:
Tumelo is very good at code switching. She is comfortable speaking to gangsters and board members - thus she can speak township and business. She is brave.
She is smart - giving people what they want. She is comfortable lying and manipulating. Living in a dangerous world, she is always on alert. She has gravitas - while she may fear him, she can hold her own against Jack.
Background - why she got into crime:
Tumelo grew up poor and studied hard to elevate herself.
However, she incurred a lot of debt while studying and struggled to pay back her loans when she started working.
She became associated with the Russians to alleviate her financial woes by doing criminal jobs for them.
The Russians helped her get to the top as a businessperson and she became their secret agent in public.
With the Russians aligning with "The Shadowman" (aka Jack Mabaso), Tumelo now has direct contact with the big boss, and is tasked with overseeing the take-over of all criminal operations in Johannesburg.
Flash facts on Didintle
She's a singer too with roots in musical theatre, having starred in Janice Honeyman's 2018 The Color Purple musical.
She made her TV debut in 2016 as Modiehi on the SABC2 drama series Mamello.
She debuted in her first starring role on 27 July 2020 as the musically talented Esther Ndlovu in BET's telenovela Isono.
Here's a link to her TVSA Actor Profile:
Didintle Khunou