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DStv and Showmax celebrate Presley Chweneyagae with Tsotsi and the Cobrizi finale

News
06 June 2025
Remembering a true legend.
A group of guys around a car in a city

South Africa is mourning the loss of one of its most iconic talents. This week, DStv and Showmax celebrate the life and legacy of Presley Chweneyagae with a special line-up, including the Oscar-winning film Tsotsi, available on Showmax, M-Net, and Mzansi Magic — alongside the season finale of Cobrizi and a curated collection of his most unforgettable performances.

The world was introduced to a 20-year-old Presley Chweneyagae in 2006, when Tsotsi won the Academy Award for Best Foreign Language Film. Based on Athol Fugard’s novel, the film follows a young boy forced to survive alone in the Johannesburg townships, whose life is upended when he finds a baby in the back seat of a car he’s stolen.

Directed by Gavin Hood and produced by Peter Fudakowski, Tsotsi stars Presley alongside Terry Pheto, Kenneth Nkosi, Jerry Mofokeng and Rapulana Seiphemo. The film’s journey to Oscar glory began with wins at the Edinburgh Film Festival and continued with the People’s Choice Award at the Toronto International Film Festival, often seen as a strong predictor for the Academy Awards.

At the 2006 Oscars, Will Smith opened the envelope and announced Tsotsi as the winner. Presley’s powerful performance earned international acclaim and the Black Movie Award for Outstanding Actor in a Leading Role. He stood out in a category that included Denzel Washington, Cuba Gooding Jr., Chiwetel Ejiofor and Tyrese Gibson.

Presley returned to Mzansi, where he felt most connected to the stories he wanted to tell. His career spanned theatre classics like HamletJulius Caesar, and A Midsummer Night’s Dream, co-authoring the acclaimed play Relativity, and directing the award-winning Cell No. 4, a testament to his depth and versatility as a storyteller.

His star turn as Thuso ‘Cobra’ Mokoena on International Emmy-nominated The River catapulted him back to the forefront of national consciousness as his character made an indelible imprint in the national pop culture psyche with his own style, swagger and language, winning two Golden Horn at the SAFTAs for ‘Best Actor – Telenovela’ in both 2019 and 2024. The spin-off series, Cobrizi, was a vehicle for Presley to express himself in front of the camera as its star and behind it as the show’s Executive Producer.

Barely two decades on from that career-defining moment on the Academy Awards stage, Presley is gone at the age of just 40.

This weekend, DStv and Showmax are proud to honour his life and work with special screenings of Tsotsi, as well as the finale of his final performance, Cobrizi, and a special broadcast of some of his finest films on Mzansi Bioscope. 

Tsotsi will be broadcast on M-Net (DStv Channel 101) at 21:00 on 6 June and will be available to stream on Showmax and DStv Stream. It will come home to Mzansi Magic on Saturday 7 June at 20:00 and M-Net Movies Channel 4 on 15 June at 20:00. 

Mzansi Bioskop will be honouring his work with broadcasts of a series of his films, including Zama Zama (9 June); State of Violence (10 June); iNumber Number (11 June) and Tsotsi, once more, on 11 June, all at 21:00.

In Cobrizi, Presley returned to captivate audiences in a spin-off series named for the nickname his character acquired on The River. A gritty, heart-wrenching and ultimately hopeful tale of survival, love and redemption, Cobrizi showcased the heart, soul and inventiveness of Presley. The series comes to an end on 8 June at 20:00 on Mzansi Magic.

Robala ka kagiso, Presley Chweneyagae, Cobrizi wa le easy.

Where to watch: 

Friday 6 June 2025:

Tsotsi, Showmax and M-Net DStv channel 101 at 21:00 and available on DStv Stream and Catch Up

Saturday 7 June   

Tsotsi, Mzansi Magic DStv channel 161 at 8pm and available DStv Stream packages and Catch Up

Sunday 8 June  

Cobrizi – Season finale, Mzansi Magic DStv channel 161 at 20:00

Monday 9 June  

Zama Zama, Mzansi Bioskop DStv channel 164 at 21:00

Tuesday 10 June 2025

State of Violence, Mzansi Bioskop DStv channel 164 at 21:00

Wednesday 11 June

iNumber NumberMzansi Bioskop DStv channel 164 at 21:00

Thursday 12 June

Tsotsi, Mzansi Bioskop DStv channel 164 at 21:00

Sunday 15 June

Tsotsi, M-Net Movies 4 DStv channel 108 at 20:00
 

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