It's a cloudy Joburg autumn afternoon when we catch up with seasoned actor and media personality Tumisho Masha, who has graced the small screens for over 25 years.
With his latest role as Philemon in Mzansi Magic's telenovela, Champions, he is proving once again that he's a force to reckoned with.
Tumisho, who has presented top shows such as Top Billing, tells Drum just how excited he is to be a part of the show.
"Being a part of the show has been incredible and I'd like to give credit to the broadcaster for commissioning such a great show that is focused on family. I also enjoy the people I get to work with, they're incredible," the 49-year-old says.
He adds that to play his character convincingly, he draws inspiration from himself.
He asserts: "I take a lot of inspiration from myself to be able to adequately portray the character, it doesn't matter whether it's a negative or a positive attribute. It helps me to do justice to the character."
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Having been in showbiz for more than two decades, Tumisho has seen his peers suffer and some die poor - something that is commonplace in South Africa.
"One of the most significant challenges we face as actors is that we don't get equity from our work. This means our work can be used wherever, but we don't get compensation and this is something government has failed to address. It continues to affect us negatively as creatives," he says, adding that instead of addressing such issues, government keeps on changing Arts and Culture Ministers, who don't take their cries seriously.
The heartthrob also bemoans the fact that when actors reach a certain age, jobs dry up, leaving them destitute.
"When an actor reaches 55 years, they no longer get gigs, which means they are unable to work and they don't have financial backing, because they don't receive residual income from their previous work."
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Over the course of his illustrious career, his personal life has bled into his professional life. This was the case when he was fighting for custody of his daughter with his ex -wife Zozibini Mtongana. He emerged victorious when the court ruled in his favour last year, meaning he had won custody of his daughter.
He remarried Chantel, whom he credits for his career success. "She understands the kind of work I do and she's very supportive of me and I'm grateful to have her in my life. Her support means a great deal to me because there's a lot of pressure in this industry," he gushes.
While the actor has told many stories through various characters he's portrayed, he insists that he still wants to tell more stories, as "there are more South African stories that need to be told".
