There are many ways one can achieve fame in contemporary times; some people have found it by becoming entertainers in the music and film industries, while some have become famous by delving into politics, and yet, others have carved their ways into the theatres of fame by becoming highly sought-after sports stars and businessmen. However, there is another small group of people who have found themselves on the corridors of fame by simply being related or connected to famous people. Rudo Ndaba is one woman who falls in this category.
Rudo, a beautiful South African woman, is famous for being the daughter of popular South African movie stars; Sophie Ndaba and Themba Ndaba who are among the highly-respected figures in the South African movie industry.
Profile Summary Of Rudo Ndaba
- Full name: Rudo Ndaba
- Date of birth: August 19, 1990
- Age: 33 years old
- Place of birth: South Africa
- Education: Inanda Seminary School
- Nationality: South African
- Parents: Sophie Ndaba and Themba Ndaba
- Famous for: Being the daughter of famous movie stars
Rudo Ndaba Was Born When Her Mother Was Just 18 Years Old
Rudo Ndaba was born on the 19th day of August 1990 and is now 33 years old. Interestingly, she was born when her mother, Sophie Ndaba was still a teenager. Sophie, who was born on the 29th of June 1973, was precisely 18 years old when she gave birth to Rudo Ndaba. Rudo was reportedly raised in Johannesburg.
Because she was so young when Rudo was born, Sophie Ndaba has always felt she actually grew up with her daughter as she too was just beginning to navigate through life when she gave birth. Her super-closeness to her daughter today is mainly because of the bond developed through the years as she raised her child while making her own efforts to grow up as well.
She Attended An All Girls School
Growing up, Rudo Ndaba attended the popular Inanda Seminary School in Inanda, a township in KwaZulu-Natal, situated just 30 km northwest of Durban. Inanda Seminary is known to be one of the oldest schools for girls in South Africa and is renowned for churning out highly intelligent girls into society.
After graduating from Inanda Seminary School in 2008, Rudo went on to acquire higher education in a South African tertiary institution. However, details about this institution remain unknown at the moment. It has been suggested that she attended the University of Cape Town where she studied Business Science. However, this has not been authoritatively confirmed.
Rudo Is Not An Only Child
Rudo Ndaba is very close to her mother, however, she is not her parents’ only child. She has a brother called Lwandle Ndaba whom she is fond of. Lwandle was born on the 6th of November 1999 and is now 24 years old.
Their mother, Sophie is very fond of Lwandle. On his 21st birthday in 2020, she penned a heartfelt message to celebrate the young man as he achieves a milestone.
Her Mother Adopted Her Cousin
Lwandle Ndaba is not the only person Rudo Ndaba grew up with. She also grew up with a cousin of hers called Shallon Mphasane who happens to be the daughter of her mother, Sophie’s late sister.
Shallon’s mother had tragically died when the girl was very young. When this happened, Sophie Ndaba decided to adopt Shallon and raise her as her own child. Shallon has lived with the family ever since.
How Rudo Ndaba Found Fame Through Her Parents
Rudo Ndaba’s main claim to fame is the fact her parents are popular figures in the South African entertainment industry. It is noteworthy that, at the time she was born, her parents were not famous yet. However, they later started their acting careers and became well-known figures. As their careers soared and their popularity increased, fans also began to search for information about their lives, leading to the discovery of Rudo and her brother.
Rudo’s parents got married in 1998 and stayed married for 9 years before getting divorced and going their separate ways in 2007.
Sophie Ndaba
Rudo’s mother, Sophie Ndaba was a model before she began her acting career in 1992, two years after Rudo was born. She has played several roles in many movies and TV series but she is more widely known for her role as Queen Moroka in Generations, a South African soap opera that made waves, resonated among fans of TV shows in the country, and was the most-watched local television shows throughout its long run of 8 seasons and 1000 episodes.
In recognition of her incredible work onscreen, Sophie Ndaba has won a number of awards including the Duku Duku Award for Best Soap Actress in 2003 and the Golden Horn Award for Best Comic Actor in 2009. Sophie’s fame as one of the highly celebrated women in South African entertainment has rubbed off heavily on her daughter who is now often discussed by fans of the star actress.
After Sophie divorced Rudo’s father, Themba Ndaba, she got married to her second husband, Bishop Keith Harrington in 2011 but they parted ways in 2013 after just two years. She went on to marry her third husband, Max Lichaba, a businessman in 2018. Sadly, in 2021, there were reports that the marriage was on the verge of collapsing.
Themba Ndaba
On the other hand, Rudo Ndaba’s father, Thema Ndaba is also a South African actor and director. The movie star who began his career in 1990 is a respected veteran who has starred in many movies and TV series over three decades. Today, he is best known for his role as Amos in the 2010 Drama/Family movie, Hopeville and as William’s father in the movie Machine Gun Preacher in 2011. He is also renowned for his role as Brutus Khoza in The Queen, a South African Ferguson Films TV series.
Themba Ndaba has also won awards for his works. He won the Golden Horn Award for Best Feature in a movie in 2011. The same year, he won the 2011 Africa Movie Academy Awards for his leading role in the movie Hopeville.
The exact status of Themba’s relationship with his daughter, Rudo is not well-known as she is more often mentioned in the same breath with her mother. However, his fame as a superstar and veteran actor also rubbed off on her as fans of the man tried to find out about her life. Themba Ndaba is now married to Josey Ndaba, with whom he has one child.
Has Rudo Banked On Her Parents’ Fame To Build Her Career?
It is very common for children of popular entertainers to leverage their parents’ fame and build their own businesses or start a career as well. However, this is not the case with Rudo Ndaba. Despite her parents’ fame, she has managed to remain largely out of the spotlight.
In fact, Rudo is so private that details about what she actually does for a living have remained quite elusive. Also, quite surprisingly, she does not appear to be on social media at the moment.
Rudo Shares An Unbreakable Bond With Her Mom
Rudo Ndaba and her mother share a very strong bond. Fans have often described mother and daughter as ‘twins’ because of their resemblance and closeness. Sophie has also hailed her daughter as her support system, explaining that Rudo has been there for her through thick and thin.
On her 30th birthday in 2020, Sophie penned a heartfelt message to celebrate her daughter, revealing that Rudo prays for her more than she prays for herself.
Apparently, the love between Rudo and her mother is real and the bond is unshakeable. Through her mother’s illness, she has proven to be a great comfort to the older woman.
Rudo Ndaba’s Mother Suffers From Diabetes
Rudo Ndaba’s mother, Sophie Ndaba is currently suffering from diabetes and the actress has been vocal about this over the years. She is also now a diabetes advocate as she tries to spread awareness among more people about the grave dangers of the killer disease.
In 2018, Sophie lost so much weight that people attributed the weight loss to diabetes and many fans became concerned about her. Some people also body-shamed her after photos of her looking emaciated emerged. Soon after, reports that she had died emerged online, causing hysteria among fans. The story was eventually debunked.
The rumours about Sophie Ndaba's death is false and we did not report on any news about her on the show today 🙏 #ExpressoShow
— Expresso Show (@expressoshow) October 30, 2018
Sophie Ndaba has vowed not to let her sickness stop her from living her best life as she continues to star in more films and TV series while getting the best support from her daughter, Rudo, and son.