‘Every setback is a setup for a comeback’

Maake kaNcube reflects on his 45 years of storytelling

- By Mbalenhle Zuma

Veteran actor Sello Maake kaNcube has been bringing characters from screenplays to life on stage, television and the big screen for more than forty years.

Over that period, the thespian has evolved into one of the most well-known and esteemed performers in the country.

Maake kaNcube’s breakout television role was his portrayal of Archie Moroka on Generations, the soap opera set against the backdrop of the fiercely competitive advertising industry. The show's debut in 1993 transformed the representation of African people on local television.

A disruptor of its time, Generations made black people see themselves in a different light, just as the country’s political landscape was changing.