Dlathu is uncompromising about her private life. She is not interested in being packaged into the modern celebrity box but would rather let her hard work do all the talking, her name is yet to be linked to any scandal.

“Being private wasn’t something that I consciously planned. It’s who I am – how I’ve always been,” she says. “If I open up too much, I feel like my life will stop being a journey.”

Meadowlands-born Dlathu has played the part of Thandaza in Muvhango since its inception in 1997, making it 15 years and counting. The proudly traditional show, now in its 14th season, rakes in a multi-racial audience of about five million and is SABC2’s most watched show.

Refusing to speak about her spouse of 17 years and any future plans to have children, it is very evident that Dlathu has a sense of character so strong that it can’t be easily swayed.

“She has a fun streak to her – she jokes around a lot on set, says Muvhango director, Tessa Made. “You should see her dance; she becomes a completely different person.”

Read the full story in the March issue of True Love magazine.