![\"Nelisiwe](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/uk\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/kumhlophe_konke_futhi_kuhle._makeup_and_hair_installation_by_gcinuthando_az_hair_from_just.jpeg\")
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\n Nelisiwe Sibiya
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Photo: @artinthemusic\/@nelisiwe_faith_sibiya\/Instagram<\/p>\n
After winning four awards this year alone, securing a lead role as Phiwe on e.tv\u2019s new telenovela Land of Mills and Money, and managing a successful business, actor and singer Nelisiwe Sibiya feels unstoppable. Rightfully so.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis is actually just the beginning,\u201d Nelisiwe says, \u201cI\u2019m living and I\u2019m tapping into one of my answered prayers,\u201d she tells Drum. <\/p>\n
Nelisiwe is not just an actress but now an award-winning businesswoman, as the owner of Emandulo House. Growing up, her family had a tuck shop and that is where she adopted her entrepreneurial mindset. <\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve always loved business, I used to sell everything from sweets to amagwinya (fatcakes), I\u2019ve always known how to create a space for me to make money, besides what I\u2019m doing,\u201d she shares.<\/p>\n
With the South African entertainment landscape being as volatile as it is – and with actors constantly finding it difficult to secure consistent work, for Nelisiwe, it is about more than just her passion for her culture and heritage – it is also about security. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s really important as creatives to be able to do other things besides what we do,\u201d she says. \u201cThe truth is, it is very, very hard; the industry is very challenging and competitive.\u201d<\/p>\n
Even though she started the business in 2020, Nelisiwe has kept it under wraps until recently, when she won a runner-up award at the Durban Tourism Business Awards in the Crafters category. <\/p>\n
\u201cI just want people to know me because of my work,\u201d she says. \u201cI prefer that people do not know the other stuff that I do. I tried so hard to just distance myself from the businesses that I do because sometimes privacy has power. Privacy is very powerful.\u201d<\/p>\n
Despite successfully navigating a tough industry, she remains candid about how scary and overwhelming success can be. <\/p>\n
\u201cEverything that is happening in my life right now, it is so overwhelming,\u201d she shares. She gives credit to her faith, saying, \u201cGod has been so good, my ancestors have been so good to me.\u201d<\/p>\n
She wishes she could share her achievements with both her parents, who have passed on: \u201cThis was my parents\u2019 and my dream. I remember when my mother was still alive, she used to tell me that I\u2019m going to be big.\u201d <\/p>\n