Former Skeem Saam actor and author Pebetsi Matlaila has openly discussed the impact of growing up with a parent struggling with substance addiction. Recently, she shared that she now understands her father’s struggles better than she did in her youth.

In an interview on the podcast Varied Views, Matlaila said the first time she told the world that her dad is an alcoholic and an abuser, they thought she was being disrespectful.

“I got phone calls from my aunts asking why I would say that in a public space,” she said.

The actor said that opening up about her dad does not mean she hates him; on the contrary, she said she understands her dad in adulthood.

“I know what it’s like to be a parent and carry a lot on your shoulders, and substances are the only things that can help you escape. I’ve been where my dad is; I’ve also been an addict at some point, and I know how challenging it is.”

The actor said coping with childhood trauma, abuse, and adulthood as a single parent of two children with different fathers can be a heavy burden.

She said when she was going through her addiction, that’s when she realised what her father was going through.

“When I told the world my dad is an alcoholic and an abuser, I wasn’t trying to shame him or trying to paint him with a dark cloud because of what he went through and because of his addiction issues. I understand because I also encountered the same thing, and maybe it’s genetic, and as a female, I’m dealing with it from a different perspective.”

WATCH THE INTERVIEW HERE:

 

In 2023, Matlaila authored a book sharing her experiences in a book titled A Decade in My Lifetime.

In an interview with City Press, she shared that she had difficulty understanding that she had childhood trauma.

“I didn’t know I had that much childhood trauma. There are so many parts of me that were broken. The broken parts I was not aware of played a part in my marriage and my adulthood. I had to rediscover myself and my self-worth.”