Meet Thembinkosi – the motivational speaker you never knew you needed

There’s a new internet sensation taking Twitter by storm with his daily motivational videos but there’s one catch, he doesn’t really exist.

The Benoni-based Xhosa dudebro of sorts, who often drops nuggets of wisdom in his videos, is fast-becoming a favourite among many.

He was even voted as a more motivational figure than businessman Vusi Thembekwayo, but who is Thembinkosi?

The character is the brainchild of actor Sobantu Nqayi.

Nqayi is best known for his role as Zuko Ntuli, an astute sociology lecturer and a defender of traditional and rural ways in the e.tv drama series Umlilo.

He has also appeared in numerous adverts for brands such as Capitec, Flying Fish, Spur, Cell C, and M-Web.

The Eastern Cape native is also the younger brother of Isidingo actress Noluthando Meje who plays Zukisa Kondile.

The actor owes his sense of humour to his parents, who he says are very funny, and he credits his mom with encouraging him to pursue his passion for entertaining.

In a past interview with True Love Magazine, Nqayi explained that he had a fear of becoming known as “the ad guy” as he often booked roles in ads as opposed to TV series and films.

He has been yearning for a platform to showcase the full range of his talent and it seems social media has allowed him to do this through the many fictional characters he plays using face-warping filters to alter his appearance.

Nqayi also has characters named Mzingisi and Elroy whom he often uses to comment on hot topics and uses popular hashtags to ensure his videos get the widest reach.

ALSO READ: ‘Here is a sign of a small mind’ – Ndlozi roasts Vusi on Twitter

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