Rapulana Seiphemo (born 4 November 1967) is a South African actor best known for playing Tau Mogale in the soap opera Generations.
The legendary actor portrayed Godlieb Mofokeng in SABC3 soap opera Isidingo and as Pheko Mokoena in SABC2soap opera Muvhango. He played the starring role in the play My Children, My Africa, which toured South Africa and England in 1989.
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Personal Details | |
Name: | Rapulana Seiphemo |
Born: | 4 November 1967 (age 57 years old) |
Place of birth: | Meadowlands, Soweto, Gauteng |
Nationality: | South African |
Education: | Theatre Arts |
Occupation: | Actor, filmmaker, writer, lecturer |
Years active: | 1989-date |
Spouse: | Olga Ruberio (m. 2003) |
Early Life
Rapulana Seiphemo was born on 4 November 1967 in Meadowlands, a suburb of Soweto, Gauteng Province. He has three brothers and a sister.
Education
Seiphemo studied towards a BA in Theatre Arts in the United States in 1991.
Career
After returning to South Africa in 1995, Seiphemo started teaching at Fuba Academy. After a year, he joined the Sibikwa Community Theatre Group. He then became a Wits University tutor in 1997.
As an actor, Seiphemo has featured in many productions. He appeared in The Merchant of Venice in 1991, Saturday Night at the Palace in 1993, The Piano Lesson in 1996, and The Blacks.
Rapulana has landed many television dramas and films. He played the starring role in the soap opera Isidingo from 1998 to 2001. He also appeared in the docu-drama Rhythm and Rights, mini-series Deafening Silence, film Jump the Gun, and the film Tarzan and Jane.
In 2000, Rapulana starred as Zama in the film Highjack Stories, which received an official selection at the Cannes Film Festival in 2001. He portrayed a lead role in Akin Omotoso’s God is African and John Dube in the Oscar-winning movie Tsotsi.
Aside from acting, Seiphemo has directed many stage productions such as Athol Fugard’s Master Harold and the Boys. He also directed Five Past Two at the Sibikwa Community Theatre in 1996.
In 2002, Seiphemo bagged the Duku Duku Award in the category Best Actor in a Soapie, for playing Tau Mogale in Generations. In 2006, he landed the role of Pheko Mokoena on the SABC2 soap opera Muvhango.
Seiphemo produced the SABC1 drama series Mzansi and appeared in the South African film Jerusalema in October 2007.
In 2010, Seiphemo was a judge on the SABC1 reality competition television series Class Act and hosted the SABC1 reality game show Ambush. He returned to the soap opera Generations: The Legacy in 2023, after leaving in 2020.
Personal Life
Rapulana Seiphemo married Olga Ruberio at The Royal Swazi Sun Hotel, Lobamba, Eswatini, in 2003. The duo has three beautiful children- a daughter and two sons. His daughter, Katlego Seiphemo, is following in his footsteps as an actress.
In 2025, Rapulana celebrated his traditional wedding with partner Zandile Tshukulu. In 2016, he was involved in a car crash and was rushed to Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg.
Filmography
- Ambush as Host
- Boo & TT as Stanley
- Class Act as Judge
- Class Act as Judge
- Generations as Tau Mogale
- Isidingo as Godlieb Mofokeng
- Izoso Connexion as Rapulana
- Muvhango as Pheko Mokoena
- Mzee wa Two Six as Himself
- Room 9 as Damian
- Silent Witness as Anton Radebe
- Task Force as Joseph Ndlovu
- The Queen as Hector Sebata
- The South African Music Awards as Presenter
- Tjovitjo as Bra Terror
- Unseen as Blessing
References
- Admin. “‘I was in tears. It was a horrific scene’: Rapulana Seiphemo accident witness“. You.
- Kgalalelo Tlhoaele. “Wedding fever: Three stars say I do, I do!“. Daily Sun.
- Rapulana Seiphemo. “Do You Know Who Rapulana Seiphemo’s Wife Is?“. Zalebs.
- https://www.tvsa.co.za/actors/viewactor.aspx?actorid=1488