Biography

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.