Vusi Thanda, a South African legend from the iconic comedy series Emzini Wezinsizwa, has turned to the public for financial assistance in a gut-wrenching video doing the rounds on social media.
Watch: Vusi Thanda from ‘Emzini Wezinsizwa’ pleads for financial help
The 59-year-old veteran actor appeared in a video clip, holding up a Capitec Bank card marked with his name and account number.
In the video, Thanda’s eyes well up with emotion as he thanks supporters in advance for their empathy. The comedy legend recites his bank account number and invites those with an open heart to make donations.
The clip was posted on social media by a woman identified on Facebook as Nozuko ‘MaRhadebe’ Habe. While not much is known about the woman, she has recently been rallying support for Thanda on social media.
In one post, Habe uses Thanda’s iconic one-liner from Emzini Wezinsizwa, “as far as I’m concerned”, to contextualise the hardships faced by the legendary actor.
The woman explained Thanda’s deteriorating health had put an end to his entertainment career. Today, his financial situation is so dire, the woman wrote, Thanda can hardly afford a trip to the clinic.
Details around Thanda’s health condition are still sketchy at this stage. However, in a post published by one of the organisers supporting the social media crowdfunding effort, it’s said the 59-year-old may be battling a chronic illness.
According to the poster, a man identified as VIncent Tshangana, Thanda was dropped from The Queen, where he played the role of Mzoxolo after he was reportedly diagnosed with diabetes.
Thanda marked his name on South Africa’s entertainment hall of fame with the comedic relief he brought to Emzini Wezinsizwa, a hit SABC 1 sitcom about five African men from different ethnic backgrounds learning to live among each other at a hostel nestled in the hustle and bustle of mid-90s Johannesburg.
The sitcom premiered at the dawn of South Africa’s democracy, and for years, Thanda and his co-stars Roland Mqwebu, Shadrack Ngema, Jabulani Nkosi, Jerry Phele, Nyembezi Kunene, Bafana Mlangeni, Washington Sixolo, and Maxwell Mlilo, enjoyed critical acclaim from fans who fell in love with their contrasting character traits.
The show was cancelled in August 2003 following a wage war that, in the end, ruined relationships between the cast and producers.
Here’s how social media reacted to Thanda’s plea for financial assistance: