Phindile Gwala Celebrates Lamiez Holworthy as a Self-Made Powerhouse

• Actress Phindile Gwala shared a heartfelt tribute to Lamiez Holworthy, praising the DJ for building a career on her own terms
• Gwala's message challenged the habit of introducing Holworthy primarily as her husband's wife, recognising her as a DJ, radio personality and businesswoman in her own right
• The tribute arrived days after Lamiez was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery, later revealing that she had been in excruciating pain

A Women's Month tribute has hit closer to home than anyone expected for South African DJ and radio personality Lamiez Holworthy, who found herself moved by words of recognition that landed during one of her most vulnerable moments this year.

Actress Phindile Gwala posted a message on her Facebook page on 18 August 2026, honouring Holworthy not for her looks or her marriage, but for the career and reputation she has built over 16 years in the public eye.

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Gwala was direct in her praise, taking aim at the tendency to reduce Holworthy to a footnote in her husband's story. She pointed out that Holworthy had carved out her own name as a DJ, radio personality and businesswoman long before her relationship with award-winning rapper Khuli Chana became part of her public profile. Gwala also acknowledged Holworthy's roles as a mother and wife, but made clear those were additions to an already established identity.

"I'm not giving her flowers simply because she is beautiful. Pretty faces are everywhere. I'm giving her flowers because she built something behind hers. A career. A reputation. A life," Gwala wrote.

The tribute extended to Khuli Chana as well, with Gwala framing the couple's partnership as one where neither person has shrunk to accommodate the other's success.

"A woman who can stand beside a successful man without disappearing into his shadow deserves respect. And a man secure enough to stand beside a successful woman deserves respect too," she added.

While acknowledging that outsiders are never privy to what truly happens in a marriage, the former Muvhango actress described the couple's public journey as a model of mutual respect.

"Whatever magic they have figured out between themselves, may they protect it."

Read Phindile Gwala's message below.

Lamiez Holworthy's difficult recovery

The timing of the tribute gave it extra weight. Holworthy received Gwala's message while recovering from a surgical procedure, after being rushed to hospital on 9 August. In a recent social media post, she revealed that she had spent so long ignoring the pain that her body eventually gave out. She alluded to battling ovarian cysts and endometriosis, conditions she had been managing privately while maintaining her public commitments.

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For Holworthy, Gwala's words arrived not as routine Women's Month flattery but as genuine recognition at a moment when she was physically and emotionally healing. The tribute sparked a wider conversation about the importance of women supporting one another, particularly when public figures are quietly carrying battles that their audiences know little about.

Lamiez Holworthy calls out cyber bullies

In an earlier report, Briefly News shared Lamiez Holworthy's message to bullies, urging them to seek help and stop targeting innocent people.

She encouraged others to stand up for themselves, saying she was not about to sit back and let people "bleed" on her.

Source: Briefly News