East London-born actor Gamelihle Bovana has been awarded a prestigious Naledi Theatre Award for his performance in James and the Giant Peach.
The 26-year-old actor received an award for best performance in a children’s theatre production during a glitzy ceremony on Tuesday night.
An elated Bovana spoke to the Daily Dispatch after the ceremony saying, “God never ceases to amaze me”.
He said that he felt abundantly blessed and that the win was important not just for him but for his entire family, who have been supportive of his endeavours since day one.
“This is my first award as an individual. What an incredible honour that is. I feel even more blessed because this award comes within the first two years of my career. I was aiming to get an achievement by my fifth year but God had other plans,” he said.
The Naledi Awards, described as the premier awards event on the Gauteng theatre calendar, covers all mainstream professional productions from January 1 to December 1 of the previous year.
Bovana, who graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Dramatic Art from Wits University, made his professional debut at the National Children’s Theatre in Parktown, Johannesburg, as part of an anti-bullying production titled The Revealers, written by Doug Wilhelm, in which he played Russel, the main character and narrator of the story.
Bovana said although theatre was his first love, he would never turn down a television opportunity.
“I set myself the target of venturing into on-screen performance by the end of this year, but I don’t think I’ll ever be able to do one without doing the other , because I love both forms of the craft wholeheartedly,” said Bovana.
“I avoid saying things like ‘I don’t see myself doing anything else’ because I am sure God would have empowered me to do whatever He saw me fit to do to the best of my ability,” he said. — ziphon@dispatch.co.za