Joe Mafela, South African actor, Died at 75

Joe “Sdumo” Mafela was born in 1942 and died on March 18, 2017.

He was a South African actor, writer, producer, director, singer, and businessman.

Joe was born in Sibasa, Transvaal, South Africa, and brought up in Kliptown and White City Jabavu, in Soweto, near Johannesburg, and after travelling his family remained up until 1990 in the Tshiawelo Township that had been set aside for Venda people under Apartheid.

Sdumo started acting in movies at the age of 22, playing the role of an editor in the movie, Real News.

Mafela joined the South African film company SA Films, and over the following 20 years he worked as a producer and director as well as a film actor.

Joe also managed the multi-ethnic dance troupes Mzumba, Sangoma, and the Gold Reef Dancers, which performed in feature films, theaters, and hotels and appeared on four continents.

Durin 1974, Sdumo co-starred in the first all-black movie made in South Africa, as Peter Pleasure in Udeliwe.

Sdumo worked with director Peter R. Hunt (famed for the James Bond movie On Her Majesty’s Secret Service) in the 1976 film Shout at the Devil.

Joe “Sdumo” Mafela passed away at 75 years old.