South African actor Hamilton Dhlamini, widely recognised for his role as Banzi Kunene in the television drama Isithembiso, is bringing decades of stage and screen experience to Eswatini through the October International Theatre Festival.
Speaking during an interview at the festival on Thursday, Dhlamini reflected on the impact of playing Banzi, a character whose reputation has remained with audiences long after the series ended.
He described the role as bigger than him, acknowledging the way the character developed a life of its own among viewers.
Banzi, known as the ruthless businessman Banzi ‘The Wolf of Braamfontein’ Kunene, became one of Dhlamini’s most recognisable television roles.
His performance earned him the Golden Horn Award for Best Actor in a TV Soap at the 2018 South African Film and Television Awards.
Dhlamini has built a career across television, film and theatre, with credits including Isibaya, Umlilo, Stokvel and Shaka iLembe.
He is also a playwright, director and producer, and runs Ndlondlo Productions, through which he develops and produces work for the stage and screen.
His involvement in the October International Theatre Festival extends beyond his established career as a performer.
Dhlamini is leading acting masterclasses as part of the festival’s creative arts development programme, sharing practical skills with emerging actors.
The sessions focus on the foundations of performance, including listening, understanding dialogue, developing characters, working as an ensemble and building the discipline required for the stage.
Participants are also encouraged to explore different characters and respond convincingly to the demands of a script.
The masterclasses form part of the festival’s wider aim of developing local talent through training and cross-border creative exchange.
Organisers have brought together practitioners from Eswatini and other African countries for workshops and performances running from October 1 to 3.
Dhlamini’s participation is particularly relevant to the festival’s emphasis on theatre as both an art form and a professional practice.
His career spans screen acting and live theatre, including productions such as Woza Albert!, which he has performed in alongside fellow South African actor Thulani Mtsweni.
For Dhlamini, theatre has long been an important part of his professional life. His work as an actor, writer and producer gives him experience of the different responsibilities involved in taking a production from a script to the stage.
At OITF, that experience is being shared with aspiring performers who are developing their own understanding of the craft.
His presence also reflects the festival’s intention to create opportunities for artists to learn from established practitioners while building connections across the region.
Through his masterclasses, Dhlamini is helping place skills development alongside the festival’s live performances, giving emerging actors an opportunity to engage directly with a practitioner whose career has moved between theatre, television and film.
