Samkelo Ndlovu Explains Instagram Exit After Adulting Backlash

JOHANNESBURG — Since May

Actress Samkelo Ndlovu has revealed she deactivated her Instagram account following intense online abuse. The backlash came after her character killed a fan favourite in the Showmax series Adulting.

The Rhythm City and Adulting star shared her experience on The Relebogile Mabotja Podcast. She discussed how viewers struggled to separate her from her role.

May’s season finale showed Ndlovu’s character stabbing Tsiki Tsiki, played by Nhlanhla Kunene. Many viewers directed anger at the actress instead of her character.

“The way the show ended was a Shakespearean tragedy,” Ndlovu explained. “People got so invested that they couldn’t separate me from my role… they started speaking to me online as if I was her.”

Ndlovu faced insults, threats and personal confrontations. She stressed her deactivation was temporary and intentional.

“It was a deactivation. Temporary, of course. I’ll come back,” she said. “I give myself permission to leave spaces that do not align with me. I haven’t been on Twitter since 2020, it’s been five years, and I never felt the need to go back.”

The actress shared her decision to help loyal supporters understand her absence. “The only reason I put it out there was because I have real fans, people who have loved me for 15 years.”

She also felt viewers needed space. “I felt the need to give people space to grieve a fictional character on TV.” (The Relebogile Mabotja Podcast)