by Thinus Ferreira
The South African actor Sello Motloung has died late on Sunday afternoon after he collapsed at home. He was 53.
In a statement, his family says "We are devastated to inform you of the sudden passing of Ntate Sello Motloung on Sunday 15 September. His family is in shock and we ask that you give them space at this time".
His management Artist Connection says Sello Motloung "collapsed at home and his wife took him to hospital, and he passed at about five yesterday".
The veteran stage and TV actor had roles in 1996's Tarzan: The Epic Adventures and La Ferme du Crocodile that same year, Justice for All, SABC1's Soul City and SABC3's The Lab and Jozi H, the ITV series Wild at Heart, as well as Chikin Biznis, SABC2's Skilpoppe, e'tv's Backstage as Mpumi and in eKasi: Our Stories.
He appeared in the controversial SABC1 miniseries After 9 and the SABC1 teledrama Second Chance, M-Net's Jacob's Cross, as well as in the Canadian miniseries Human Cargo, and in SABC2's Lithapo as Thapelo.
In 2015 Sello Motloung joined SABC2's Mamello as Mr Thobejane for three seasons and appeared as Thabelo in the Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) telenovela Ring of Lies for two seasons since 2016. In 2021 he joined Clive Morris Productions' telenovela The Estate on SABC3.
Other TV roles ranged from Madam & Eve, Scoop Schoombie, Interrogation Room, Khululeka, The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency of M-Net, to SABC2's 90 Plein Street, Fathers Matter, Sokhulu & Partners, 2011's Home Sweet Home, Vuka Mawule, Thola, uSkroef noSexy, 2014's Rockville on Mzansi Magic, SABC1's Generations, SABC3's Isidingo, Kota Life Crisis, Matatiele, e.tv's Rhythm City, Tempy Pushas, as well as two seasons of Ring of Lies.
Sello Motloung also appeared on TV in Netflix South Africa's Queen Sono and Yoh! Christmas, Showmax's Blood Psalms, Mzansi Magic's The Queen and The Republic, the third season of The Wife, as well as Paramount Africa's third season of Black Tax on BET Africa.
In film, Sello Motloung starred in The Long Run, Askari, Zulu Love Letter, Man to Man, Faith's Corner, Gangster's Paradise: Jerusalema, Invictus, 2010's Im Brautkleid durch Afrika, Tirza, How to Steal 2 Million, 2016's Happiness is a Four-letter Word and an Act of Defiance in 2017 as his last big screen role.
On stage Sello Motloung appeared since 1990 in Street Cleaners (1990), The Awakening (1991), The Good Woman of Sharkville (1996), The Cherry Orchard (1997), Master Harold and the Boys (1998), Cold Stone Jug (2004) and Socks & Toothpaste (2006).