Joe Kazadi (born 6th June 1990, Age: 33 years old) is a South African actor who has also worked as a scriptwriter, dancer, artist, chef, entrepreneur, and fitness model best known for his role as Thabiso in The Queen, the popular Mzansi soapie.
You may know Joe Kazadi as someone who is becoming one of South Africa’s finest celebrities, but life has not always been as kind as it now seems to be. He has experienced what you may call the lowest point of life and has had to fight his way up. Although he is best known for playing the role of Thabiso Ngcobo in The Queen, he has played other roles in other soapies.
Even though he has grown to become a popular actor in South Africa, Joe Kazadi did not start his professional career as an actor. The DR Congo-born started as a chef before going into modeling and then acting; thankfully, acting has paid off. His well-built body makes him perfect as a model and for acting the role of villains – as he does in The Queen.
Summary of Joe Kazadi’s Biography
- Full name: Joe Kazadi
- Gender: Male
- Date of birth: 6th June 1990
- Joe Kazadi’s Age: 33 Years Old
- Nationality: Congolese
- Place of birth: Congo
- Residence: Johannesburg
- Ethnicity: Black
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Religion: Christianity
- Marital Status: Single
- Joe Kazadi’s Children: Omotola Zizipho Kazadi
- Joe Kazadi’s Parents: Esther Mbuyi (mother)
- Occupation: Actor, chef, dancer, model
- Height in feet: 5’ 6”
- Height in centimetres:168
- Weight in pounds: 165
- Weight in kilograms: 75
- Hair Colour: Black
- Eye Colour: Black
- Famous for: The role of Thabiso Ngcobo in The Queen
- Joe Kazadi’s Instagram: @king_kazad
- Twitter: @TheKingKazadi
Joe Kazadi Is Originally From DR Congo
Considering that Joe Kazadi found greener pastures in South Africa, he can also refer to the country as home. However, he is not originally from South Africa. The actor was born and brought up in the Democratic Republic of Congo. At the age of 12, he had to move to Durban, South Africa, with his mother, Esther Mbuyi, and siblings.
There is no other information about his siblings and what they are up to now; neither is there Information available about who his mother is. However, what we know is that coming to South Africa was a step towards success for Joe, however at the start, it did not look like that. Life in Durban was not easy for Joe as a young boy who had just come into the province as a refugee from another country. He did not know how to speak Zulu and was constantly discriminated against by other children in society.
Joe Kazadi Started As A Chef Before Becoming A Model
As a result of how bad life was treating him and his family members, Joe Kazadi had to take up a job as a waiter, and with the money he made, he enrolled for a culinary art course but had to drop out along the line. However, he had learned how to cook. As early as the age of 18, he started working as a chef. He did not make so much money from the job but was able to provide food for his stomach and probably for other needs but not enough to save.
Aside from the little money he got from his work, it also brought him closer to someone who believed that life had something better to offer him than the work of a chef, and that person was his patron. A year after he got the job as a chef, one of the days he came to work, she told him that he had everything it took to excel as a model. Yes, Joe had that nice-looking macho body since he was 19 years old.
After considering all odds and seeing that he had nothing to lose, the actor decided to try modeling. He registered at a modeling agency and decided to keep his fingers crossed on getting a gig. Thankfully, after some months, he landed his first modeling gig, and it paid him better than what he received at the restaurant where he worked.
After The Success Of His First Attempt At Modeling, He Decided To Move To Johannesburg
Not long after his first modeling gig, Joe Kazadi lost his job at the restaurant. After weighing all options, he decided to take the bold decision of leaving Durban for Johannesburg. At that moment, all he had was the passion for moving to Johannesburg in search of greener pastures, but he had no money to achieve that aim. However, he did not let that discourage him; instead, he worked up to his friend to ask for money. He received R120, but that was not enough for the journey.
Joe Kazadi refused to be discouraged, he decided to beg a bus driver to help him, and the best the driver who was trying to be kind to him could do was make space for him to sit in the trailer with the luggage. It was not a pleasant experience for him, but the joy of pursuing his dreams in Johannesburg was enough to keep him going.
He Had To Sleep In An Abandoned Building In Johannesburg
Joe Kazadi just knew that he wanted to come to Johannesburg, but he did not have a place to sleep or money to take care of himself. However, his determination to build a better life for himself kept him going. He went through many extremely hard times in Johannesburg before making it to the limelight, including sleeping in an abandoned building full of rats and at night, which climbed on his body without apologies. He refers to this period as one of the darkest times of his life.
It Took Joe Kazadi About 10 Years To Became Famous
Coming to Johannesburg may not have been a rosy experience nor a smooth sail for Joe, but it was all worth it, and his determination finally started to pay off. In 2011, he got to know about Ice Modeling Agency. However, he had to walk a long distance to come for a photoshoot, but at this point, life had taught him never to be afraid of anything.
Finally, after years of suffering and hard work, Joe started getting small acting gigs, like the role of Black Mamba in Intersexions and the role of Phillipe, the ruthless boss of Nkunzi in Uzalo. Even without going to a formal acting school, producers took note of his acting skills, and sooner than later, he landed the big one – the role of Thabiso in The Queen.
He Played The Role Of Thabiso in The Queen
In The Queen, Joe Kazadi plays the role of Thabiso Ngcobo, a successful soccer player who raped his girlfriend. He loves the role because it educates men on the importance of seeking a girl’s consent before having any form of sexual activity with her. According to him, the role reminds him of his home country, DR Congo, because he says rape is more common there than it is in South Africa. He also adds that women love him for exposing what men do, but some men don’t buy the idea of exposing men like that.
Many people also think that in real life, Joe Kazadi is just like the character he plays, but this is not true; Joe and Thabiso are two different people. However, to Kazadi, the fact that he can make people think that way means he is playing his role well. He is also a devout Christain who is thankful for everything life has put him through because it prepared him for who he is today. If he was not mocked for being unable to speak Zulu, he probably wouldn’t have learned it, and he would not have been able to play the role of Thabiso because it required someone who could speak Zulu.
Joe Is Not Married, But He Has A Daughter
Joe Kazadi has a beautiful home in Johannesburg which he shares with his daughter, Omotola Zizipho Kazadi, who was born in 2019. When the child was born, he was believed to have had a girlfriend who he kept away from the public, but in 2020, he announced that he was a single father and that there was no woman in his life.
He also requested that people stop questioning his ability to care for his daughter because he was very good at that. He added that men should not abandon their children because things didn’t work in their relationship with the child’s mother. On Instagram, he does not flaunt any woman, so we cannot say whether or not he is currently in a relationship.
