Award-winning thespian Presley Chweneyagae dies

Reports of Chweneyagae’s death began trickling in on Tuesday morning.

A statement from talent agency MLA confirmed the news.

“It is with profound sadness that we confirm the untimely passing of one of South Africa’s most gifted and beloved actors, Presley Chweneyagae, at 40,” the statement reads.

Chweneyagae rose to fame following his unforgettable performance in the 2005 Academy Award-winning film Tsotsi.

The Mahikeng-born actor had an illustrious career on theatre stages, television, and the big screen.

“On stage, his presence was commanding and transformative, with roles in: Hamlet in Hamlet, Mark Antony in Julius Caesar, Bottom and Puck in A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Orestes in Dikeledi (an adaptation of Electra), Relativity, Urban Reality, Jack in the Box, The Grandball, Silent Voice, Kalushi, Cards, Beautiful Things, and more.”

The 40-year-old was also a writer and director.

Beyond his stellar performance alongside Terry Pheto in Gavin Hood’s Tsotsi, Chweneyagae performed in the 2013 biopic on the life of former president Nelson Mandela – Long Walk to Freedom starring English actor Idris Elba.

After capturing the local audience as Cobra in the telenovela The River, Chweneyagae scored his own show in the 13-episode spin-off Cobrizi earlier this year.

He leaves behind his wife and children.