Considering the history of Mzansi and apartheid, there a time when it was illegal and generally frowned upon to have interracial relationships. But people are resilient, and love wins every time.
Our mixed race celebrities have had to endure some of the effects of this apartheid legacy growing up, especially for those who are older than 20 years old. Here are some ZAlebs who are of mixed racial heritage.
Jo-Anne Reyneke
Muvhango actress Jo-Anne Reyneke identifies as “first generation coloured”, in her own words. She shared an old picture of her parents: a white man and a black Zulu woman. Although she was born in Vereeniging, she was raised in Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal.
Not much is known of her father’s whereabouts, as the actress said she hasn’t seen him since she was a little girl. He may have left when his relationship with Jo-Anne’s mother went south. According to Jo-Anne, her mom told her that he lived far away, but she and her brother never got to see him again.
Although she has done well for herself, she has shared that she still aches to meet her father for a feeling of completion. She appealed to him through the media, to reach out. But nothing has been heard from him still.
Sho Madjozi is a nice change of pace from the sadder stories. She was lucky to be raised by both loving parents. Her father is a Swedish charity worker, who travelled to many countries and often brought her along. This is how she ended up living a big chunk of her life in Tanzania, hence the Swahili she uses in her music.
Her mother, Rosemary Phaweni is a Tsonga woman, who raised Sho single handedly after she and the father got divorced when she was a child. She has the fondest memories of her parents, and has even credited her love for culture to them.
Mina Nawe star Angela Sithole was born and raised in Soweto’s White City. Her mother was Zulu and her father was Italian. He left when she was just six years old, leaving her to be raised by her single mother.
Speaking to ZAlebs in an interview, the actress revealed that being mixed race in the hood was a rather difficult experience for her. She said she was bullied terribly as a child, but eventually, her love for the performing arts won. She took the opportunity to get out of the ghetto, and has never looked back since.
Although many may have suspected that fashion and lifestyle blogger Sarah Langa is mixed race, it wasn’t until she shared a picture of her and her father that it was confirmed to the public.
She was born in 1993 to a black SA mom and a white dad, and grew up in Soweto Mofolo. Sarah has always identified as black, even though she landed in trouble some time back because she said that, in application forms that ask about her parents ethnicity, she checks the box marked “other”, which tweeps took to mean she was shading black people.
Scandal! actor Brighton Ngoma was born in 1985 in Mpumalanga. His mother is a Xhosa nurse, while his father was a Swiss doctor. The two met at a hospital where they both worked, but according to Brighton, as soon as his father found out that his mom was pregnant, he bailed.
For some time a while back, everyone thought that Brighton was related to fellow biracial celebrity Trevor Noah. This came up because they share a Xhosa-Swiss heritage, and fans thought they bore an uncanny resemblance. But the rumours bore no fruit, although fans still think that Brighton would be the perfect person to play Trevor in a biopic if one is ever made.
This has to be the least surprising one of all, hence why we saved it for last. Comedian Trevor Noah has spoken at length about being of mixed heritage, and the challenges that presented for him as a young boy growing up at the height of apartheid in the country.
His mother was Xhosa, while his dad was a white Swiss man. He has two half-siblings, both who are fully black, but Trevor has spoken about how wise the young boys have been in navigating their differences as members of one family.
Model and actress Amanda du Pont was born in Swaziland. She was raised in Manzini before she and her cousin moved to Mpumalanga. Her ethnicity is a little complex.
Asked about it in interviews, Amanda said “My mother, Antoinette’s mother is Swati, and her father is half Chinese half Portuguese, and my father Harry Tum’s father is a white French man, and his mother is from the Swaziland royal family.” So, a little more complex than most.
But she identifies as biracial, and she is literally from a royal bloodline.
The Queen actress Miranda Ntshangase, opening up about her childhood and upbringing, revealed that she is half Sotho and half German. Her Sotho mother passed away when she was only six months old, so she was raised by her dad.
She said that growing up, she didn’t know where she fit in. She never felt black nor white enough, so she was bullied a lot. But she has grown up and found her home in the film industry and in the arms of her family, although the pain of losing her loving father still remains with her.
