President Cyril Ramaphosa has sent his condolences to the family, friends and colleagues of the late veteran stage and screen actor, Shaleen Surtie-Richards.

Surtie-Richards, aged 66, passed away in Cape Town on Monday.

She was in the city to film the KykNet series Arendsvlei.

Paying tribute to an educator-turned-actor, President Ramaphosa said the country has lost a performer, whose distinctive energy, artistic versatility and humility touched generations of South Africans for more than three decades.

“On stage and screen, Shaleen Surtie-Richards held a mirror to our unjust past and gave us hope for our future as a nation. May her soul rest in peace,” President Ramaphosa said in a statement.

Also paying tribute to Surtie-Richards, chairperson of the Portfolio Committee on Sports, Arts and Culture, Beauty Dlulane, said the departure of “Tanie Shaleen” is a massive blow to the arts.

“This legend has offered so much through her acting career over the years. She was the queen of the stage, and once more our country, has lost. May her soul rest in eternal peace,”Dlulane said. 

Source: South African Government News Agency