Presley Chweneyagae
Actor · Died May 27, 2025, aged 40 · Soweto, Transvaal, South Africa
Presley Chweneyagae (October 19, 1984 — May 27, 2025) was a South African actor best known for his breakthrough lead role in Tsotsi (2005). Chweneyagae went into acting at an early age, taking acting classes from the age of 10. His first major role proved to be a history-making one, securing the part of David, aka Tsotsi, in Gavin Hood’s searing 2005 crime drama Tsotsi. In the film, set in a Johannesburg township, Chweneyagae plays a small-time hoodlum who steals a car, only to discover a baby in the back seat that causes him to change his ways. Tsotsi was a huge hit with critics, with praise especially for Chweneyagae’s performance. The film was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Academy Award for best foreign language film, becoming the first South African film to win an Oscar. The success of Tsotsi secured Chweneyagae's place as one of the best known South African actors. As well as features, Chweneyagae’s found great success on domestic television, and was arguably better known in South Africa for his lead role in the popular telenovela The River (2028–24). In the Pretoria-set show, which takes place in the diamond mining industry, Chweneyagae’s scheming, villainous and charismatic Thuso ‘Cobra’ Mokoena became a fan favorite, and he received his own spin-off series, Cobrizi. The River won Chweneyagae a South African Film and Television Award in 2019, and helped Chweneyagae become a streaming star outside South Africa as the series became popular in other parts of Africa. As well as film and TV, Chweneyagae was deeply involved in theater, boasting extensive credits and starring in several Shakespeare productions. Chweneyagae also wrote and directed plays. He co-wrote, with Paul Grootboom, the acclaimed stage play Relativity and directed the award-winning production CELL NO 4. Chweneyagae died from natural causes on May 27, 2025, at the age of 40.
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Biography from TMDB.
- October 19, 1984
- May 27, 2025 (aged 40)
- Soweto, Transvaal, South Africa
- Actor
- 6 on MovieCove · 12 credits in all
What are Presley Chweneyagae's films like?
Across their 5 MovieCove titles with a thematic analysis, their films lean Morality and Self.
Themes
What they feel like to watch
Ironic 0 · Wry 0 · Earnest 5
A split, not a type: Light 1 · Serious 1 · Dark 3
A split, not a type: Grounded 3 · Stylized 2 · Heightened 0
Gentle 0 · Charged 1 · Intense 4
Steady 0 · Shifting 4 · Whiplash 1
Straight-faced 3 · Some laughs 2 · Funny 0
Slow burn 0 · Even-paced 3 · Relentless 2
Casual 1 · Engaged 3 · Full focus 1
Easy watch 1 · Affecting 2 · Heavy 2
Resolved 3 · Open-ended 2 · Ambiguous 0
Roles they play
Usually the Shadow: 2 of 5 analyzed roles.
- Heroas Tsotsi in Tsotsi (2005)
- Shadowas Egg in Africa United (2010)
- Allyas Shoes Moshoeshoe in Avenged (2013)
- Threshold guardianas China Boy in The Number (2017)
- Shadowas criminal syndicate (the trio) in iNumber Number: Jozi Gold (2023)
Moods and endings
- Happy1
- Bittersweet2
- Ambiguous2
AI-generated from each title's plot synopsis and cast list, with extra plot summaries, reviews and Parents Guide notes for titles the model may not know, and the model's own knowledge of the ones it recognizes. Only analyzed titles count, so this covers part of the filmography; the feel axes count films only for now.
Where can I watch Presley Chweneyagae's films?
As of October 24, 2026, 4 of their 6 MovieCove titles stream on a subscription or free service, most on Tubi (2).
Subscription and free streaming for Presley Chweneyagae's titles on MovieCove; rent and buy are not counted. Titles are listed by Midcredits score, highest first, at most 12 per service; a dashed chip is a producer credit or a minor one, such as a thanks. A service opens the browse page, which counts movies only, so its number can differ.
Filmography
12 credits, 6 with a MovieCove page.
Midcredits score: 20th percentile of all films
The River (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2018)
The Number(2017)
Midcredits score: 83rd percentile of all films (provisional, few ratings)
Avenged(2013)
Midcredits score: 33rd percentile of all films
Midcredits score: 79th percentile of all films
Zama Zama (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2012)
The Gentleman (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2011)
Africa United(2010)
Midcredits score: 67th percentile of all films
State of Violence (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2010)
Menda City (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2009)
More Than Just a Game (not in the MovieCove catalog yet)(2007)
Tsotsi(2005)
Midcredits score: 86th percentile of all films
Career shape
Star power in the 89th percentile of 239,109 people with a billed film role, over a full career of 12 titles from 2005 to 2023; peak year 2005.
Biggest box office
Tsotsi (2005)
Highest rated
Tsotsi (2005)
Most popular right now
iNumber Number: Jozi Gold (2023)
Film career
Peak 2005 · fewer prominent film roles lately. Film roles by billing, audience size and rating; 25+ votes. A show carries a single first-air date, so shows are not on the curve.
Counts from TMDB across their full career, self appearances out; a title counts in every role they held on it. The ring is the typical Midcredits score (the median percentile) of the role's titles that are on MovieCove, shown from 5 scored. Billing is TMDB cast order for roles with 25+ votes, billed in the top 30.
How do Presley Chweneyagae's films land?
Their typical MovieCove film has a Midcredits score in the 73rd percentile, the median of all 6; across their 5 films with reception data, the typical film sits in the 66th percentile for acclaim.
- 75th and up3
- 50th to 74th1
- 25th to 49th1
- Below 25th1
Shape of the crowd
3 of their 6 titles are Crowd Pleasers.
- Cult Classic2
- Crowd Pleaser3
- Mixed1
Reviewers score the acting 62/100 in their films, across 4 reviewed titles; fans 79, detractors 38. The element that speaks to their work as an actor.
Percentiles are each film's standing among all films on MovieCove; the typical film is the median, so one outlier cannot drag it. Percentiles and reviewer scores count the films IMDb credits them on, for now; the Midcredits score bands, the shape of the crowd and the two cards count their MovieCove titles, shows included (a show ranked among shows), appearances as themselves left out. A descriptor is the shape of a title's IMDb rating distribution against the catalog; "most divisive" needs a spread wider than half of all titles, and a card names only a principal credit: a craft role, and on a show a crew role or a run of episodes, never a courtesy credit or a one-off guest spot.
Who does Presley Chweneyagae work with?
People who share at least 2 of Presley Chweneyagae's MovieCove titles, grouped by what they did on them; Donovan Marsh shares the most, 2.
Directors
- Donovan MarshShared titles: iNumber Number: Jozi Gold (2023), Avenged (2013)See all 2 shared titles with Donovan Marsh
Actors
- Deon LotzShared titles: iNumber Number: Jozi Gold (2023), The Number (2017)See all 2 shared titles with Deon Lotz
- Terry PhetoShared titles: The Number (2017), Tsotsi (2005)See all 2 shared titles with Terry Pheto
- Warren MasemolaShared titles: The Number (2017), Avenged (2013)See all 2 shared titles with Warren Masemola
- Owen SejakeShared titles: Avenged (2013), Tsotsi (2005)See all 2 shared titles with Owen Sejake
Cinematographers and editors
- Tom MaraisShared titles: iNumber Number: Jozi Gold (2023), Avenged (2013)See all 2 shared titles with Tom Marais
- Megan GillShared titles: The Number (2017), Tsotsi (2005)See all 2 shared titles with Megan Gill
Producers
- Harriet GavshonShared titles: iNumber Number: Jozi Gold (2023), Avenged (2013)See all 2 shared titles with Harriet Gavshon
- JP PotgieterShared titles: iNumber Number: Jozi Gold (2023), Avenged (2013)See all 2 shared titles with JP Potgieter
- Nimrod GevaShared titles: iNumber Number: Jozi Gold (2023), Avenged (2013)See all 2 shared titles with Nimrod Geva
- Basil FordShared titles: Avenged (2013), Tsotsi (2005)See all 2 shared titles with Basil Ford
Mixed roles
- Israel Matseke-ZuluShared titles: iNumber Number: Jozi Gold (2023), Avenged (2013)See all 2 shared titles with Israel Matseke-Zulu
