Each generation witnessed the advent of a person who altered its perspective of issues. Leleti Khumalo is one of these people.

Her remarkable performances on and off the stage have altered South Africans’ perceptions of apartheid. Furthermore, her involvement in Yesterday altered African perceptions of the HIV/AIDS crisis.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Leleti Khumalo is a South African movie actor. Globally, she is renowned for her roles in the movies Sarafina, Hotel Rwanda, Invictus, and Yesterday. Besides acting, Khumalo is also a radio show host and an accomplished musician. Despite having a career spanning several decades. Leleti continues to enthrall audiences worldwide.Leleti Khumalo is 53 years old as of 2023. She was born on March 30, 1970. Skhuthazo Winston Khanyile married Leleti Khumalo in 2012.Leleti Khumalo’s newborns were triplets throughout her pregnancy, and a miscarriage resulted in the loss of one. However, on May 24, 2013, twins Leleti Khumalo were born and survived.Leleti Khumalo’s children are two with Skhuthazo and one with her ex-husband, Ngema.She suffers from the uncommon condition of vitiligo. Furthermore, she has had it for several years, harming Leleti Khumalo’s skin health, particularly her hands.She has, however, learned to live with this disease by learning more about it. She has stayed dedicated to her duties throughout. Aside from that, she contributes to public awareness of this ailment. Leleti Khumalo’s home is currently in KwaMashu.From an early age, she wanted to pursue acting. She began her career in music and acting when she joined a youth dance group, Amajika. During this time, Tu Nokwe mentored the budding actor. When she was 15 years old, her journey from obscurity to stardom began. The actor, musician, and playwright Mbongeni Ngema, while scouting for talent, visited a garage where her youth group was performing.

He asked whether she might appear in one of his plays after witnessing her talent. Yes, she said! Ngema cast her in one of his musical works, Sarafina. Her professional and personal lives have never been the same since. She eventually became a worldwide star and married Ngema.At this time, it seemed as if Ngema and Leleti were destined to be together. Ngema loved to perform and was a natural dancer and entertainer. However, marital tension caused a schism between the two, resulting in divorce in 2005.Other notable movies she featured in include Hotel Rwanda (2004), a historical drama documenting the Rwandan genocide of 1994. In the same year, she starred in Yesterday, a film about the struggles of a young HIV positive mother. Her role in the movie was instrumental, as it received rave reviews at the Toronto International Film Festival and won an award in the Pune International Film Festival. Also, she starred include:

Cry, the Beloved Country (1995)
Faiths Corner (2005)
Imbewu: The Seed (2015)
Invictus (2009)
Voices of Sarafina (1988)Her outstanding performance both on and off the stage earned her several honors and nominations. Among them were NAACP Image Award nominations for Best Stage Actress (1987) and Tony Award nominations for Best Actress in a Musical (1988). She gained international acclaim once the film adaptation of Sarafina was released. She co-starred in this film with John Kani, Miriam Makeba, and Whoopi Goldberg. Sarafina was the biggest film produced in Africa at the time.

Later, in 1993, Leleti Khumalo released her debut album Leleti and Sarafina, which she dedicated to the legendary boxer, Muhammad Ali. It was during the 90s that she gained most of her global prominence. For instance, she appeared in several of Ngema’s productions such as Magic at 4 A.M. (1993), Mama (1996), and the sequel Sarafina 2 After shooting Yesterday, she turned her focus to the small screen, where she featured in the TV show African Skies (1991). In 2005, she signed on as an actor in the famous South African soap opera Generations. In it, she portrayed Busiswe Dlomo, the sister of a power-crazy entrepreneur.

Generations was one of the most successful soap operas in the region then and the longest-running soap in South Africa. Although performing for TV provided her with new challenged, she never intended to make TV a long-term commitment.

Nonetheless, her addition to the roster of this TV program illustrates her flexibility as an actor who can play a variety of characters. Seeing the performer transition into new roles was an enthralling experience for her adoring fans all around the world.(1996).