Generations Actress Pamela Ndlovu who plays the no-nonsense officer Pokane.
1. Who is Pam?
Pamela Ndlovu is a very bubbly, happy, loud, confident and strong willed young lady. I have very few friends and enjoy spending time with close friends and family.
2. Where is she from?
I was born in Rustenburg and grew up in a small town called Lydenburg in Mpumalanga. My mother and I lived in Lydenburg while my brother and dad lived in Nelspruit so we spent a lot of time commuting between Nelspruit, Rustenburg and Lydenburg. Well we still do. My father passed away when I was 20 and so now it’s just my mother, brother my sister and I.
3. How did she grow up?
Growing up was a mix of challenges and very colorful at the same time. When we moved to Lydenburg I was 7 years old. I’d grown up in my great-grandmothers house kwa Phiri in the North West and we were a pretty big family filled with lots of women and love. I was very close to my cousin and leaving him behind to start at a new school and town was heartbreaking. But as any other child I was excited at the same time. We were fresh from transformation as a country and when we moved to Lydenburg I was enrolled in a coloured Primary school. This only made sense since we lived right across the school so it would save my mom travelling time and transport. This was a big adjustment for me as I grew up in a Tswana household and could only speak setwana. And now suddenly we were in a coloured community. I made friends very easily and learned Afrikaans quickly. Living in the area I really had no choice as that was the language spoken. Everday after school was always an adventure. We played all sorts of games in the streets, got into quarrels and I must say I was a very curious child. Ne ke phapha. But as I grew up I started to understand that term better and how it relates to me I simply had a really big personality. I did very well in school academically and on the sports field. In 1998 I went to Hoerskool Lydenburg which was also an Afrikaans medium school to start my grade 8. I was very opinionated during my teenage years. After all I was in an Afrikaans school and we were still far from having the so called rainbow nation. I challenged the teachers a lot. In matric I made it on the panel for Src members. Nothing could hold me back at this stage. I questioned every decision and wanted to make sure it benefited both black and white. After all I came from a family of very strong women who held their own ground. Leaving this school was a relief for me in 2002 and so I ventured to do what I was waiting all these years to do. Acting!
4. How and when did she discover her acting talent?
Every year during primary the school staged a drama. It was usually around the end of the year so it would be a Christmas show for most of the time. This is where I really started to come alive. As children my friends and I used to like watching Melrose Arch and Beverly Hills 90210 which was very popular during that time. We would always imitate the characters and even went as far as putting jerseys over our heads pretending to have long hair. It’s really here where I started to fall in love with acting. We had what was then called a guidance class and when I was 12 (Grade 4) I wrote in my guidance book: “when I grow up I want to be an actress”. So even when I was in high school it remained my dream. I spent some of my afternoons attending Sofasonke Youth Club which was a community theatre group. After matriculating in 2002 I went to Pretoria with the hope of enrolling at Pretoria Technickon. Now called Tshwane University of Technology. Unfortunately I was late for registration and as a result studied part time drama. The following year I auditioned for the full-time course and finished in 2007. During this time I participated in a lot of plays and really felt at home. In 2008 I went out to face the industry.
5. Your role on television as this strong, courageous detective that does not take crap. How are you different from detective Pokane, and has that changed you?
Playing the role of officer Pokane is a lot of fun for me. I've always enjoyed playing strong characters. I suppose it’s also because I have strong characteristics myself. I do have to say though that I am much softer than the stern and serious Pokane. The role really hasn’t changed me. Pokane is a no-nonsense, stern; get straight to the point character where Pam is always laughing, chit chatting, fun and really just a happy person. I've also embodied so many characters that if I hadn't learned the technique of leaving the character behind I’d most probably have lost my mind by now. I enjoy this role very much and hope that one day the part can grow from where it has been.
7. Why Generations?
Whilst studying drama, as students we would always sit around and talk about the shows we want to be in and the directors we want to work with. I always said “when I leave varsity I want to be on Generations’. It’s what we all watched on our screens week in and week out. I could relate to the characters and simply just loved the soap. After leaving varsity I attended several auditions. I was auditioning for another drama when the writer asked to come and audition for Generations. It was actually the first job I got and a dream come true for me. After my scenes started to flight I was once at home to visit my mother. She then pulled out my guidance book and said “Ï kept this for you and look where you are now”. She paged to the exact page where I innocently, at the age of 12 wrote “when I grow up I want to be an actress”. This filled my eyes with tears as I could see the pride in my mother’s face. I had reached one of my dreams. Being an actress and on Generations nogal! A big milestone! And so I believed that indeed, dreams do come true!
8. On Saturday we will be celebrating our day, women's day. What does it mean to be a woman ?
I think as women we don’t really realize the amount of strength we possess and so when we have power we sometimes don’t know how to use it. We have to learn to embrace who we are more and take pride in our roots. Self respect is essential for every human being because that will dictate how people will treat you. We need to start realising that we have made our mark and have now been give the freedom and platform to utilize it to the best of our ability without losing sight of the soft, nurturing feminine side of ourselves. We need to enjoy our beauty, our curves, voluptuous lips and what we stand for. We should never confuse our success with the ability to do manly duties. That’s where we completely lose the plot. I am proud to be the woman I am and can only thank my mother for raising me to become the woman I have become. Women still face many challenges out there and it’s really up to us to unite and hold each other’s hands. The race is long but we will get to the finish line.
9. We see how the youth of today carry themselves, we hear of them engaging in risky behaviours. Do you think that there's still hope for young people of SA?
The youth is growing at a rapid pace! It’s hard to keep up with them all the time. It frightens me to see most of them turning a blind eye to just being a teenager and engaging in activities that will have a vital impact on their futures. During my visits to different university campuses recently I saw how girls forgot about just being young and playful. They wear amounts of make-up on beautiful and flawless skin, high heels; they have poised walks and animated laughters. It’s almost as if young girls have been told that they are racing against time. But then at times you meet headstrong young girls who are focused and sure of what they want. Who wear no make-up, smile and greet in a respectful manner. So I guess it’s a bit equal. I do believe though that the youth have a good idea of where they want to be. Most of them are focused on their dreams and achieving their goals at very young ages. You guys for one have started a blog so that is the beginning of a successful idea in my view and starting it at such a young age one can only wish you the best of success.
10. A quote you live by?
“Nothing in this world is useless in the eyes of God. Don’t try to be useful. Try to be yourself as that is enough and makes all the difference” Paulo Coehlo
11. How do you empower yourself and other women?
Empowering others is never ending. For me it’s really about giving people a little bit of your time, an ear and a shoulder. We all walk around with so much baggage and sometimes just need someone to listen to us. I don’t look down on anyone. I’ve learnt a great and eye opening lesson where humanity is concerned. People often come to me when they are broken or need advice and even guidance. I’m sometimes that voice of reason. I visit schools sometimes to speak to young people to help them understand that anything is possible I do believe that until you’ve empowered yourself first you can play no role in empowering someone else. I’m empowered by my mother’s strength. I rely on her for strength and when she’s nurtured me with all her motherly love I have enough courage to spread my wings help out whichever way I can. I do intend on getting more involved with different charity organizations to pass on knowledge, skill and more time.
