This archive report was first published on 1 November 2019.
Published on November 1, 2019, actress Bahumi Madisakwane is on a mission to establish her own identity, separate from her father's.
As the daughter of self-proclaimed gay man Somizi, Bahumi has grown accustomed to being a topic of discussion. Speaking to Drum magazine, she expressed gratitude for her father's unwavering support, but acknowledged that the criticism sometimes gets to her.
'I've always been a topic of discussion since I was born, and as much as I have learnt to ignore the haters, it bothers me at times,' Bahumi said. 'Since I was a child people spoke about me being Somizi Mhlongo and Palesa's child. People spoke about my dad being gay. There was criticism when my dad got married.'
Despite the backlash, Bahumi remains focused on her career, having made her acting debut on SABC's Keeping Score in 2017. She recently faced criticism after being cast as the younger version of Lebo Mathosa in the upcoming BET Africa series, Dream: The Lebo Mathosa Story.
However, Bahumi chose to ignore the hate and took to Instagram to share her excitement about getting the role. 'Words cannot describe. But in their best effort, telling the story I had both dreamed and feared of telling my whole life, has been one of the most humbling experiences and gifts thus far. God Thank You. You are Faithful. May You forever be glorified.'
