South Africa’s film community is mourning Presley Chweneyagae, the magnetic performer whose first screen role in Gavin Hood’s 2005 crime drama “Tsotsi” helped bring the country its historic Academy Award for best foreign language film. His talent agency, MLA, confirmed that the actor died at his Johannesburg home on Tuesday, 27 May, aged 40. A family spokesman later said paramedics were called when Chweneyagae experienced breathing difficulties and that his passing was “a natural death” with no foul play suspected.
Born in Mafikeng in 1984, Chweneyagae drew international attention with “Tsotsi,” portraying a township gang leader whose encounter with an infant forces a moral reckoning; the film’s Oscar triumph the following year made him an ambassador for a resurgent national cinema. He parlayed that breakthrough into a varied career across theatre, television and film, most recently endearing local audiences as the charismatic hustler Cobra in the popular telenovela The River. Away from the screen he ran youth-oriented acting workshops and co-wrote the stage drama “Relativity,” underscoring his commitment to emerging artists, a quality his agency said “will remain integral to his legacy.”
Colleagues and officials offered tributes within hours of the news. Actor Terry Pheto, his co-star in “Tsotsi,” wrote that they “shared an unforgettable moment when we won the Oscar” and called his death “shocking and saddening.” Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie described Chweneyagae as “a storyteller who held the soul of a nation in his hands,” pledging government support for memorial arrangements. The South African Film and Television Awards hailed him as “a powerhouse performer,” while messages from fans flooded social media under the hashtag #RIPPresley.
Chweneyagae is survived by his wife and three children, according to family representatives, who asked for privacy as funeral plans are finalised. Details of a public memorial will be announced once consultations with industry bodies are complete, the agency added.