By Rorisang Modiba
- Gugu Gumede had gastric sleeve surgery in January 2024 and lost 53 kilograms, breaking free from a decade of being cast in older, motherly roles.
- The 34-year-old will star as Joyce Gomora, a glamorous social media influencer, in the upcoming 22-episode Netflix drama The Polygamist.
Gugu Gumede was 24 years old when she walked onto the set of Uzalo as MaMlambo, a mature spiritual advisor convincing enough that viewers could not believe her real age. That role followed her for ten years.
Producers kept casting her older. The industry had decided what she was, and it took more than talent to change their minds.
In January 2024, Gumede had gastric sleeve surgery. She lost 53 kilograms. The physical transformation was significant on its own — it cleared up high blood pressure and chronic body pain, and she says her stamina and confidence on set improved with it. But the career shift that followed was the bigger change.
New doors opened entirely. Producers who had typed her as matronly and middle-aged began seeing her differently. She was no longer walking into auditions carrying a decade of MaMlambo with her.
The role that marks the break is Joyce Gomora in Netflix’s The Polygamist, a 22-episode drama about a wealthy businessman whose family fractures as several women fight over his future and fortune. Gumede plays Gomora as a glamorous social media influencer, alongside Sdumo Mtshali and a large cast. She has also taken on roles in Isiphetho and Netflix’s Umjolo: The Gone Girl.
Gumede, who turned 34 in December, says she has no regrets about the surgery.
“I am now being considered for roles that better reflect my actual age,” she said.
She started her career at 23. It took her eleven years, and one operation, to get cast as herself.
Pictured above: Gugu Gumede.
Image source: @itsgugugumede
