Actor-turned writer and director Mfana Jones Hlophe to take  Under Siege Women to National Festival in Makhanda this year

This will be a second year in a row that Hlophe will be taking a show to Makhanda, having taken another production there last year. The almost all women show Under Siege Women is currently in rehearsal at Uncle Tom’s Hall in Soweto.

By Edward Tsumele, CITYLIFE/ARTS Editor

Although seasoned actor Mfana Jones Hlophe has demonstrated his excellent artistic merit and formidable substance on both stage and screen for years, until now, his other side – that of a writer and director was not publicly known.

But since breaking his break from the lights of TV and stage since 2016, with so far two productions behind his name, in which his name appears as both writer and director, Hlophe is rebooting his artistic energy. He is exploring a side that many in the industry may not have known about him. But in reality, it has always been there.

He spoke to CITYLIFE/ARTS this week. In fact, taking a break from overseeing the rehearsal of his newly written musical, Under Siege Women at the renowned Uncle’s Tom’s Hall in Dube, Soweto, to speak about his new artistic vision in general and his current interest in the arts – as a stage and screen writer, as well as director.

“It is not as If I am no longer interested in acting, it is just that these days I am focussing on writing for both the stage and the screen. It is so crazy that I can write up to 13 episodes in a day. Under Siege Women comprises a cast of 10 women with a male choreographer Noel Ndinisa.  This follows shortly on another production that went to Grahamstown (National Arts Festival in Makhanda) last year, which attracted a lot of interest from the audiences there.  Under Siege Women is also going to Grahamstown this year, and hence the current rehearsals. The thing with gumboots dancing is that it is physically challenging and there is a need for rehearsing properly,” the playwright said.

And he should know because besides his other TV and stage productions where he played various roles as a dancer, actor and singer, Hlophe for years, was part of an internationally reputed gumboots production produced and directed by Zenzi Mbuli and Tale Motsepe. It travelled the world and enthralled audiences as the global world was introduced to South Africa’s tradition of gumboots dancing, which is historically linked to the country’s history of mining and migrant labour.

Hlophe at a young age was introduced to theatre through the global musical, phenomenon, Sarafina, conceived, written and directed by the late Mbongeni Ngema, which saw the production travel the world and the young South African cast of mainly dancers and singers get global exposure for their artistic excellence. Hlophe was one of them, travelling Europe and as far as Japan with the production.

In fact Hlophe’s links to the late Ngema extend beyond his having been part of Sarafina. Both Hlophe and Ngema as fate would have it, are linked to the late South African theatre colossus Gibson Kente, as both in different generations honed their artistic skills at Bra Gib’s Dube, Soweto based school.

“I was mentored by both Mbongeni Ngema and Gibson Kente, and today, I often quip that Ngema for his artistic direction referenced Gibson Kente, and I reference both Ngema and Kente,” he noted.

Hlophe, who hails from the Durban township of Umlazi, was introduced to Kente, one day when he had just come back from Japan, where he was touring with Sarafiana.

“I ended up living with Kente in his house in Dube from 2003 to 2005, learning from him. But Kente insisted that I and another actress friend of mine, Slindile Nodangala who accompanied me  from Durban to Bra Gib’s house, needed to go back to school and complete Matric. He took us to Daliwonga High School where we were enrolled into Grade 11,” he said as a way of how Bra Gib valued education and how he instilled the same values to those who came to his famous school.

Hlophe explained that it was while he was living with Bra Gib that he learned a lot about theatre, including learning how to write. “Bra Gib for example, taught me about the value of learning other South African languages (besides his native Zulu) and today I am proficient in other South African languages,” he said.

Hlophe’s artistic journey has little competition from his peers.

 Hlophe is an actor, singer and dancer best known for his role as Jabu in the SABC1 drama series Soul City, from 2006-2007.

With his skills in music he joined Mbongeni Ngema School of Art (Committed Artists) and was chosen to join the second company of Sarafina! in 1989, touring Europe.
In 1992 he decided to upgrade his career and went on to Gibson Kente’s School of Art where he started writing his scripts under Kente’s guidance.

In 1993 he got a role in Kente’s Mfowethu and performed in Bloemfontein (PACOFS). In 1994 he joined the African Research and Puppetry Programmes (AREPP) and learned to be a puppeteer for almost a year.
In 1995 he composed music and played a lead role in a European company called Eurostage and with the cast of Isikulu toured European countries. In 1997 Mfana was chosen to play a lead role in Ipi Ntombi.
He has been in productions at the Market Theatre such as Five Guys named Mo, Woza Albert, The Necklace, Bergville Stories and choreographed Unsung Heroes by Doris Sihule. He directed an AIDS show called Waiting that targeted tertiary schools in Gauteng.
He also taught African Dance at Moyo Studios and created new songs and dances wih various artists.
On television, among other productions, he has featured in Stokvel, Emzini Wezinsizwa, Mama’s Love, Soul City and Khululeka.
In 2013 he had a guest role as Mr Xaba on the Mzansi Magic telenovela isiBaya and in 2015 he guest starred on Zabalaza.

However Hlophe’s current interest is to make sure that by the time that Under Siege Women makes it on the stages of Makhanada later this year, it is a tight production that will give a new perspective and insights about what is possible in gumboots dancing.

“Gumboots dancing, traditionally, was done by men in mining compounds who had come to work in mines in Johannesburg. It is true that it is a physically demanding dance style. But that does not mean that women cannot pursue gumboots dancing professionally. With this all women cast (except one man Noel Ndinisa), I want to demonstrate the fact that women are strong too, and have over the years proved that fact in other aspects of life. But they can do it too through gumboots dancing,” Hlophe added.

And to prepare for this epic journey of dance at the National Arts Festival in Makhanda, Hlophe through the company Ndinisa Productions, in which Tshidi Ndinisa and Noel Ndinisa play the role of producers (for Under Siege Women) are hoping to secure a theatre venue in which they will showcase the production to local audiences, before hitting the road to Makhanda.