South African actor Presley Chweneyagae, who starred in Oscar-winning film ‘Tsotsi’, dies aged 40

By Michelle Gumede

Presley Chweneyagae, the South African actor who gained international recognition for his leading role in the 2005 film “Tsotsi”, which won South Africa’s first ever Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film, has died. He was 40 years old.

His talent agency MLA on Tuesday confirmed Chweneyagae’s death and said South Africa had lost one of its “most gifted and beloved actors.”

“His passion for empowering the next generation of artists will remain integral to his legacy,” MLA CEO Nina Morris Lee said in a statement. She gave no details about the cause of death.

Chweneyagae’s three-decade-long career spanned theatre, television, and film.

His award-winning performance in “Tsotsi,” based on the 1961 novel by South Africa’s preeminent playwright Athol Fugard and directed by Gavin Hood, catapulted him to international stardom.

Chweneyagae was also a gifted writer and director, co-authoring the internationally acclaimed stage play “Relativity” with Paul