Overview

• Presley Chweneyagae achieved international fame portraying David in the 2005 film Tsotsi, which became the first South African production to win an Academy Award for Best International Feature Film.
• He starred as Thuso ‘Cobra’ Mokoena in the telenovela The River, earning a South African Film and Television Award in 2019 and headlining its spinoff series Cobrizi.
• Beyond film and television, he co-wrote the acclaimed play Relativity, directed the award-winning stage production CELL NO4 and delivered commanding performances in both classical and contemporary theater.
• The South African government, African National Congress leaders and industry bodies including the South African Film and Television Awards have publicly honored his contributions to the arts.
• His sudden death has left a profound void in South Africa’s arts community and prompted reflections on his role as a mentor and cultural ambassador.