Hundreds of fans tuned in while family and friends gathered at the Mmabatho Convention Centre in North West to remember the late multi-award-winning actor, Presley Chweneyagae, at his first memorial service.
Presley, who is best known for the characters he played in Oscar-winning movie Tsotsi, iNumber Number, The River and Cobrizi, was remembered as a remarkable actor and a fun person to be around.
His co-star in More Than Just a Game, Tshepo Maseko, said: “Presley was very playful, non-stop, until they said stand by for the shoot, so it was very easy to lose your focus when you play alongside him, if you are not professional. He was quite a naughty actor who liked to steal the limelight from fellow actors, but what a fun performer, what a fine young man, who was not scared to try new things,” said Tshepo.
Speaking with Newzroom Afrika, actor Israel Matseke-Zulu, who was his co-star on iNumber Number, also remembered him as a humble person, despite being an Oscar award-winner.
Actor Israel Matseke-Zulu, known as GP-MaOrange, who worked with #presleychweneyagae on the movie Tsotsi, says despite being an Oscar winner, Chweneyagae never saw himself as a superstar and looked down on others. @RefiloeSeboko has more.
Watch: https://t.co/9owZwYWkDE… pic.twitter.com/Kl82uKR2rx
— Newzroom Afrika (@Newzroom405) June 3, 2025
Speaking for the family, Motseothata Chweneyagae said Presley was a humble man.
“He was respectful; he never saw himself as a celebrity. He loved coming home and would always greet me with sweet words. That’s when I knew he wanted something. His nickname, Tobetsa, came from his friends in the industry. They didn’t want to call him Presley, so they said ‘Pres’ then eventually it became Tobetsa,” said Motseothata.
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Also see: Gone but not forgotten: 5 viral scenes of Presley Chweneyagae on ‘The River’
