By Neo Kolane
Local actor, producer and comedian, Bofihla ‘Neko has scored a role on South Africa telenovela ‘The River’ as a right hand man for a character called Kabo who is a diamond dealer.
The River is created by Phathu Makwarela and Gydion Beyno.
It tells of two communities divided by a river that separates the rich and the poor in Pretoria, South Africa.
It is an M-Net original production produced by Tshedza Pictures for DSTV’s general entertainment subscription channel 1Magic and is available for streaming on Napsers’ subscription-based video-on-demand service Showmax.
In an interview with theReporter, ‘Neko explained that he received a call asking him to take part in the show.
He explained that the call he received was from a casting director who asked him if he would be interested to feature as a gangster in The River.
Bofihla told the director that he was driving and told the gentlemen to call him later.
“I then thought of the part and at first I needed to focus on my fellow actors who are still struggling as far as income is concerned, but in the end I decided to take part.
“It is a good opportunity to be seen by a wider spectrum than just being in a few colour cloud,” he said.
Being a veteran in this acting scene, ‘Neko disclosed that when he is given an opportunity to act, he is very much willing to give it his all.
The director of the Sesotho comedy series Lilaphalapha, Bofihla revealed that this is not a permanent role as he is still employed in Lesotho while also running his own company. For this reason, he cannot be far from home for a long time.
He mentioned that playing the part brought drama in the telenovela and hopes for the best.
“I am not sure when it will be aired but I start on episode 64 in the series. I am operating on a call arrangement not a contract since I am still employed,” he explained.
Bofihla will be acting alongside Presley Chweneyagae, Thembinkosi Mthembu and Sindi Dlathu, to name a few of the heavyweight cast.
Bofihla also made headlines early this month when he challenged dancer and choreographer Maveleto to a boxing match.