Jo Anne Reyneke (born June 2, 1988) is a 36-year-old South African actress who had her career breakthrough when she was in her 20s with her role on the popular South African television series, Muvhango. She married her ex-husband, Thami Mngqolo, when she was 20 years old, had her first child at 25 and her second at 27.
Jo Anne Reyneke is not a new name to the South African movie industry. Since she had her breakthrough on Muvhango, she has continued to grow her fan base. Aside from her incredible acting talent, most fans also cannot help but notice her fashion sense and good looks.
The 36-year-old actress has truly had a successful stay in the movie industry as both producers and viewers are excited to have her in their movies. Sadly, the same cannot be said about her relationship life even though she is not the kind of woman who lets her divorce get in the way of her happiness. Stay with us as we explore Jo Anne Reyneke’s age milestones and biography.
Summary of Jo Anne Reyneke’s Biography
- Full name: Jo Anne Reyneke
- Gender: Female
- Date of birth: June 2, 1988
- Place of Birth: Vereeniging, South Africa
- Jo Anne Reyneke’s Age: 36-year-old
- Ethnicity: Mixed (White and Black)
- Nationality: South Africa
- Zodiac Sign: Gemini
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Marital Status: Divorced
- Jo Anne Reyneke’s Ex-Husband: Thami Mngqolo (div. 2018)
- Jo Anne Reyneke’s Children: 2
- Education: Russell High School (Pietermaritzburg), Movietech Film and Television School, Durban
- Occupation: Actress
- Jo Anne Reyneke’s Height in Inches: 5 feet 3 inches
- Jo Anne Reyneke’s Height in Centimetres: 189
- Jo Anne Reyneke’s Weight: 75 kilograms
- Famous for: Her role in the television series, Muvhango
- Net Worth: $3 million
- Jo Anne Reyneke’s Instagram: joannereyneke
Jo Anne Reyneke Was Raised By Her Mother
Jo Anne Reyneke did not grow up in a regular home. Unlike most people who get to meet both parents even though they may not be together, Jo Anne did not meet her father throughout his lifetime. She was instead raised by a single mother in Vereeniging, Gauteng.
Anne, who was born on the 2nd of June 1988, is a product of biracial parents – a white father and a black mother. The actress, however, sees herself as black because she spent all of her years in South Africa with her mother who raised her and her brother at Pietermaritzburg, KwaZulu-Natal. Being of mixed race, i.e. having features that include lighter skin color and pointed nose, made Anne gain the attention of people around her who kept teasing her while she was growing up.
The future actress was someone who knew what she wanted right from a very young age, which is why after matriculating from Russell High School (Pietermaritzburg), she went on to enroll at Movietech Film and Television School located at Durban where she studied performing arts and music. This helped with polishing her talent and in turn prepared her for the roles she has played.
As a grown-up woman, Jo Anne Reyneke made efforts to meet her father. According to her, her success was going to be complete if she met her father in person, but sadly it did not happen as he passed away before she could get to him.
Reyneke Got Her Breakthrough Playing The Role of Pearl on Muvhango
A good number of people began to take note of Jo Anne Reyneke when she joined the cast of Muvhango, but that was not her first TV appearance. She started her career with The Playhouse Company in Durban where she was privileged to feature in The Game, a play created by Duma Ndlovu that also featured legendary actors and actresses like Lucia Mthiyane, Mary Twala, and Sindi Dlathu.
Duma Ndlovu, who also happens to be the creator and executive producer of Muvhango, noticed her outstanding talent and did not think twice to offer Jo Anne the role of Pearl, a receptionist, in his upcoming show. It was this role that skyrocketed her career and brought her the required recognition she needed.
She Has Featured In Over 12 Movies Since The Start of Her Career
Duma Ndlovu is not the only movie creator who has quickly noticed the wonderful talent of the beautiful mixed-race actress. Others like Gray Hofmeyr and Gloria Medupe have done this as well. As a result, Jo Anne has barely had to stay for some time before getting a new role in some of the best South African soapies.
After leaving Muvhango in 2013, Jo Anne Reyneke landed a role in the second season of Intersexions, the popular South African soap opera that sheds light on the HIV epidemic in South Africa. She played the character of Layla on the show and later that same year, she landed another acting gig. She was billed to be featured in season 1 of Rhythm City as Prudence Oliphant – another character most people know her for.
Jo Anne has been featured in other telenovelas such as season 1 of Broken Vows, Side Dish, Uzalo, and Red Cake (as a celebrity guest).
Jo Anne Reyneke Has Worked As A TV Presenter
Jo Anne Reyneke is a multi-talented lady whose abilities cuts across just being an actress. She has also been an amazing event host and has hosted events such as the South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTA) for two consecutive seasons (12 and 13).
In 2019, she was featured in BET’s comedy show “Black Tax” alongside Mamodibe Ramodibe and Jason Goliath. Despite all the series and shows she has featured in, viewers are not tired of seeing her beautiful face on their screens, as she keeps serving entertainment hot, just the way we like it.
She Has Also Bagged Some Awards
Jo Anne Reyneke has been the presenter of awards shows as well as the winner of some of the awards. She got the Golden Horn Award for Best Actress in a TV Soap/Telenovela for her role in Broken Vows at the South African Film and Television Awards in 2018.
Considering that she is just 33 years old, you can be sure to keep seeing Jo Anne in more award-winning movies and bagging more awards.
The Actress Was 20 Years Old When She Married Thami Mngqolo
Jo Anne’s relationship life has not exactly been as blissful as her career. After 10 years of being happily married to the one-time love of her life, Thami Mngqolo, their union came to an end in 2018. This is despite having children – Uvolwethut and Lungelo – with him. Thankfully, their separation did not stop them from agreeing on a healthy co-parenting approach for their kids.
Reports have it that Jo Anne broke up with her husband of over ten years, who is also an actor, as a result of financial issues. According to sources who prefer to stay anonymous, she got overwhelmed with the fact that her husband at that time was unable to land acting gigs; thus leaving her as the only one who was catering to the family’s financial needs.
The source, who is a family friend, went on to say that efforts that were made to sort issues between the couple remained fruitless as their relationship got so bad that they started sleeping in different bedrooms. The incident that broke the camel’s back and finally led to their divorce was when Jo Anne saw a video that made her distrust Mngqolo in his phone and after confronting him, she sent him packing.