South African Film and Television Awards gets Jozi celebs excited
JOBURG – Thapelo Mokoena is recognised by the Safta committee.
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The who’s who of the South African Film and Television Industry put on their finest as they walked the red carpet at Sun City with their peers.
This, for the announcement of all the winners at the 11th annual South African Film and Television Awards (Saftas) recently.
Among the list of recipients of a much-treasured Safta statuette was a young and talented actor, who is destined for bigger and brighter things on both the big and small screen.
The Young Achiever Award, sponsored by Ster-Kinekor Theatres this year, was handed to a delighted Thapelo Mokoena by Wanda Matandela, chief executive officer of the country’s leading cinema exhibitor. The sponsorship is a further display of Ster-Kinekor’s continued support of the local film industry and the development of exciting young talent.
“Thapelo Mokoena is a most worthy recipient of this inaugural award and our sponsorship of this award is a very exciting development for Ster-Kinekor. The Saftas provides an excellent avenue for us to demonstrate our commitment to the flourishing South African film industry, but, more importantly, we are delighted to be sponsoring a new and innovative category that recognises and rewards the exciting young talent in our country who are destined to become the industry’s rising stars of tomorrow,” said Matandela.
“Focusing on growing the youth market is a key sector within our marketing strategy. This sponsorship opportunity further strengthens that strategy. It also gives us access to some of the exciting and developing talents within the sector, who are destined for future success.”
Thapelo Mokoena is a South African actor and TV presenter best known for presenting the first season of the South African version of the reality competition, Fear Factor. He also played the role of Cedric Fatani in the series Wild at Heart and, in August last year, he joined the star-studded cast of High Rollers on SABC3.
He made a big screen appearance as Elias Motsoaledi in the much-celebrated 2013 film that celebrated Madiba’s life, Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom. Mokoena is now the owner of his own production company, Thapelo Mokoena Productions.
“We are looking forward to working with Thapelo and exploring some interesting opportunities and collaborations with this creative talent going forward,” concluded Matandela.
Edited by Beryl Knipe
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