Written by: Sibuyiselo Dywili

Directed by: Siphenathi Siqwayi

Performed by: Sibuyiselo Dywili and Siyamthanda Bangani

Sbuja Dywili | Writer and Actor 

Sbuja Dywili is a published playwright, as well as an award- winning performer who has been seen both on screen and stage. His 2021 play Ganga Nyoko! Inzima Nyoko! published by Junkets Press and in which he performed, won the Zabalaza Festival’s Best Production, Best Actor and was nominated for three Fleur du Cap Awards, winning Best New Director. His screen credits include The Whale Caller, Moffie, Inkaba, Jabu, Poppie Nongena and Grobber Freund, Kleiner Junge. Sbuja performed in Tsotsi the Musical as well as Comfort Ye and Buzani ku Bawo. 

In 2021, he was invited by Lara Foot of Baxter Theatre, to be under the Masambe Writing Residency, where he was supported both financially and with resources to write his second play, Ngxi!, under the careful eye of Lara Foot, Nwabisa Plaatjie and other selected playwrights. 

He holds an Advanced Diploma in Filmmaking, in which he majored in Directing, Screenwriting and Producing. Sbuja had the distinct privilege of being taught Musical Writing by the legendary David Kramer at the Baxter Theatre. He graduated from a series of Filmmaking Workshops hosted by Tomas Films, from which he co-wrote and directed a short film shot on a cell phone and garnered praise from the Tomas Films Producers/Makers. He is the recipient of the Peter Hayes Award for Best Actor in 2022. In 2022, Sbuja received raving reviews for his performance in Dr. Siphiwo Mahala's one man show, House of Truth, for which Sbuja was nominated in the 58th Fleur du Cap Awards as a Best Actor in a One Man Show. 

In 2024, Sibuyiselo ventured into English writing and began writing a play titled The Salt Lesson and was selected to attend the Jakes Gerwel Foundation & Passa Porta's From Brussels to Karoo Writing residency, a play later presented at Magnet Theatre as a live reading in a project called For The Record. As part of celebrating the 15th Anniversary of the Baxter Zabalaza Festival, Sbuja staged The Salt Lesson and took home an award for Best Script of Zabalaza Festival 2025. 

Siphenathi Siqwayi | Director

Siphenathi Siqwayi is a 28 year old Theatre Maker / Director, born and bred in the Eastern Cape. He moved to Cape Town in search of better opportunities and currently resides in Kraaifontein. He began acting in 2009 when he joined a local organisation called Mayibuye Developmental Agency.Through his career as an artist, he performed in various productions, like ‘Zixananazile the Musical’ and ‘The Journey’ by Bulelani Babutyana, ‘This day 6 years ago’ by Avala Gigi ‘Long Walk to Freedom’, and by Mkhuseli Richard Tafane. Due to the burning desire to bridge communication, marketing and pitching skills with Arts, he then went to study Public Relations Management. Siphenathi craved more education and went to study and graduated from the Magnet Theatre. He has crafted and directed his own play ‘Ilizwi Lomzali’ (Cape Town Fringe), ‘Freedom Or What’ and Ulwamvila Lokufa by Avela Gigi. In 2021 he directed an intriguing isiXhosa play titled Ganga Nyoko! Inzima Nyoko! which won The Baxter Theatre’s Zabalaza Festival and went on to be nominated for three Fleur du Cap awards, for which Siphenathi was crowned with the award for Best New Director. In 2022 he took on the big responsibility to stage and direct Dr Siphiwo Mahala’s one man play about the life of Can Themba, called The House of Truth, which was also nominated for a single Fleur du Cap award for its actor. In 2023, as part of his graduation project from Magnet Theatre, Siphenathi wrote and directed another provoking isiXhosa three-women-play titled Ematyeni, a play that both wowed and provoked audiences to have more dialogues for change. Siphenathi has just returned from performing the award-winning early-years-play, BOUNCED in Cuba with Magnet Theatre.

Siyamthanda Bangani | Actor 

Siyamthanda Bangani is an actor, voice artist and film producer. Some of his work includes a documentary titled My poems, My survival, which earned him an IMDB credit as a Film Director. In 2021 he starred in two shows which had a season at the Baxter Theatre - Heads or Tail(s) directed by Robyn September and Ganga Nyoko! Inzima Nyoko! Directed by Siphenathi Siqwayi, and for it he was nominated alongside his co-star Sbuja Dywili, as the Best New Ensemble at the 57th Fleur Du Cap Theatre Awards. Late 2021 he starred and produced a feature film which he starred in alongside Anele Matoti, the film is titled Life Happened and currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video and VIU. He is currently pursuing a Diploma in Acting for Film at ACT Cape Town where he was awarded a full scholarship through the Zabalaza Festival in 2022. Siyamthanda Bangani is an actor, voice artist and filmmaker. In 2021 he starred in two theatre shows which had a season at the Baxter Theatre - Heads or Tail(s) directed by Robyn September and Ganga Nyoko! Inzima Nyoko! directed by Siphenathi Siqwayi, and for it he was nominated alongside his co-star Sbuja Dywili, as the Best New Ensemble at the 57th Fleur Du Cap Theatre Awards. Late 2021 he produced and starred in a film titled Life Happened, released in 2022 which is currently streaming on Amazon Prime Video and VIU. Currently he is pursuing his Advanced Certificate in Acting for Camera at ACT Cape Town. In 2024, Siyamthanda Bangani was nominated for Best Student Prize in the 59th Fleur du Cap Theatre Awards.