Renowned actress and the mother of every Muvhango fan, Candy Moloi, was confirmed dead on Tuesday evening by SABC News.
Candy Moloi passed away: Everything we know
Details surrounding the veteran actress’ death have pretty much been kept private, out of respect for the grieving family who have been hit the hardest by the news of her untimely death.
As reported by Sunday World, Moloi’s death was announced by Muvhango boss Duma Ka Ndlovu to the public broadcaster. At this time, the obvious assumption may be that Moloi lost a battle to the deadly coronavirus (Covid-19).
We can’t, at this time, confirm whether this is, indeed, true or not. We do, however, know that her daughter and fellow Muvhango colleague Lerato Zah Moloi recently recovered from the plaguing pathogen.
Whether this had inadvertently impacted Moloi can only be confirmed once the family has offered more information surrounding the actress’ untimely passing.
Moloi’s biography: Career highlights, achievements
Born in Thohoyandou, Limpopo, Moloi’s ambitions of being an actress were greater than her circumstances. Her career as an actress in mainstream TV kicked off in 1997, when she joined Muvhango in 1997.
On the soapie, set in rural Limpopo, she played the polarising character of Vho-Makhadzi, an influential voice in the Mukwevho chieftaincy and as powerful — if not more conniving — than Chief Azwindini. The revered actress held this role until 2008.
Soon afterwards, she joined the cast of Death of a Queen, a mini-series on SABC 1 where she played the role of MaModumedi. In 2009, 12 years after she had vacated her infamous Vho-Makhadzi role, Moloi was awarded with the Best Supporting Actress award at the South African Film and Television Awards (Safta).
Social media mourns the death of an on-screen legend
She may have taken leave from her on-screen career but her influence in the popular soapie genre was felt. Hence, when the news of her passing broke out on social media, scores of her fans rushed to pay tribute to a fallen legend.
These are some of the tributes we picked out from social media: