Sad Note! Actress and Radio Personality Marietjie Bothma Passes Away

Sad Note! Actress and Radio Personality Marietjie Bothma Passes Away. We wake up to yet another sad reports of loss. On a very sad note, South Africa is mourning one of its talented personalities, Marietjie Bothma.

The talented actress, radio, and TV presenter, passed away on Monday, May 30, after a short illness. She was aged 39, at the time of her passing. Bothma, popularly known as Intombi Yomzulu, died at Kopanong Hospital in Vereeniging. The news about her death was shared by her brother on social media on Monday.

Bothma is best known as the white Afrikaans woman who speaks fluent Zulu in a King Pie TV advert. She loved the black culture, and was like a black woman with white skin. The multilingual, whose mother tongue is Afrikaans, was able to converse in 13 languages including several South African languages and German. Since then Bothma has landed an acting role in one of South Africa’s biggest soapies, and also spoke at former president Jacob Zuma’s inauguration ceremony.

Bothma has done promos for SABC 1’s uzobheka mini ngedwa campaign and SABC 2’s Muvhango. She was also one of the ambassadors of the 16 Days of No Violence Against Women and Children Campaign and was also actively supporting civil society group, Life Line. As an actress, Bothma appeared on etv’s Against All Odds and Diep City.

Born in Potchefstroom, ­Bothma was adopted by a ­Pretoria family at 10 months old. When she turned two, the family moved to KwaZulu-Natal. This is where she was forced to learn different languages. “My father had a church during the apartheid days and he wanted us to learn different languages so we could interpret for him during the service.”

Bothma is survived by her daughter Klariez and son Brandon