Rapulana Seiphemo Biography and Net Worth

Rapulana Seiphemo is a 56 year-old veteran actor, director, and producer widely recognized for his role as Tau Mogale in Generations and Generations: The Legacy. He was born on November 4th, 1967, and has a net worth of $3 million (R50 million).

At the age of 22, in 1989, Seiphemo kicked off his career in the theatre with a role in My Children, My Africa. He eventually switched to TV and had roles in popular movies like Totsi, which won an Oscar. Over the years, Rapulana Seiphemo has grown his career, working in the capacity of a director, producer, and radio and TV presenter. Little wonder, he has accumulated a multi-million rand net worth.

What Is Rapulana Seiphemo’s Age Today?

Born on November 4th, 1967, Rapulana Seiphemo is 56 years old. His birthplace is Meadowlands, a suburb of Soweto in Gauteng. The seasoned actor was raised along with his four siblings – three brothers and a sister in the suburb.

He is multi-lingual, speaking Tswana, Sotho (Southern), Sotho (Northern), and English. Amazingly, at 56, Seiphemo is a recipient of several awards, including the Ouagadougou Panafrican Film and Television Award for Best Actor.

Rapulana Seiphemo’s Education includes Studying in the US

In the year 1982, Rapulana Seiphemo enrolled at Anchor High School, Orlando North, Soweto. He later left the school two years later. In 1991, he joined Texas A&M University in the United States and studied English, Sociology, Psychology, Acting, and Theatre Production. He graduated from the university with a BA in Theatre Arts in 1995.

In 1989, Rapulana Seiphemo Began His Career in the Theatre

After starring in My Children, My Africa, directed by Authol Fugard in 1989, the versatile actor went on a play tour in South Africa and England. He later featured in The Merchant of Venice in 1991. And then Saturday Night at the Palace and the Piano Lesson in 1993 and 1996, respectively.

He also had a role in The Blacks, and the play was showcased in South Africa and Stockholm’s Stadteatren. Throughout his palmy career, Rapulana Seiphemo has participated in numerous plays including After the Fall, The Good Person of Sichuan, The Trackers of Oxyrhynchus, Peer Gynt, Sunday in The Park with George, The School for Scandal, and One in a While The Odd Thing Happens.

Rapulana Has Over 40 Acting Credits

Having begun his career on TV in the mid-1990s, Rapulana Seiphemo has starred in more than forty TV series and movies. Between 1994 and 2000, he played the roles of Tau Mogale in Generations, Thabo in Jump the Gun, Kaya in Tarzan and the Lost City, Joe Zuma in A Reasonable Man, and Zama in Hijack Stories.

After scoring the role of Maltex in the 2003 film, God Is African, he starred as John Dube in the Academy Award-winning film Tsotsi opposite Presley Chweneyagae, Jerry Mofokeng, and Kenneth Nkosi. Also, the movie was a box office success, grossing $11.5 million on a production budget of $3 million. Later in 2006, the celebrated actor portrayed the character of the long-lost son of Tshepo Mokoena – Pheko Mokoena in Muvhango.

He further played the acclaimed role of Lucky Kunene in Gangster’s Paradise: Jerusalema in 2008. And his performance helped him clinch Durban International Film Festival Award for Best Actor and Ouagadougou Panafrican Film and Television Award. Then from 2009 to 2019, Rapulana Seiphemo had a role in White Wedding, Africa United, Paradise Stop, How to Steal 2 Million, Layla Fourie, Skeem, Task Force, and Generations: The Legacy.

In July 2020, he reconnected with Connie Ferguson (Harriet Khoza) as he joined The Queen Season 5, playing the role of Hector Sebata. The two, who were sworn enemies, later became lovers and got married in the seventh and final season of The Queen. Seiphemo additionally played Makimba in the movie Santana in 2020 and is presently part of the cast of the TV series, Unseen.

Rapulana Seiphemo Has Played Tau Mogale in Generations For Over Two Decades

In 1994, Rapulana Seiphemo joined the cast of Generations, which first premiered on SABC1 in 1993. He played the role of Tau Mogale – the husband of Karabo Moroka (Connie Ferguson) in the series. The couple ran the New Horizons company, though Tau equally ran illegal operations on the side. Generations bagged overwhelming positive reviews and was one of the most-watched soapies throughout its long run.

After the series went on hiatus between September 2014 and November 2014 due to a dispute with the main actors, it returned to the screen in December 2014 and was rebranded as Generations: The Legacy. Tau and Karabo were among the few main actors who returned to the show. Connie Ferguson, however, left Generations: The Legacy in 2016, and later in 2019, Rapulana Seiphemo departed from the show.

Even though he had one year left in his contract, he never opted for a contract renewal. And his decision to leave the show was quite shocking to both the viewers and the producers, as he was one of the show’s favorite characters. Interestingly, in April 2023, SABC announced the return of Tau Mogale and Karabo Moroka to Generations: The Legacy.

They are part of the show’s all-star cast and so will continue making special appearances in the drama series. Despite portraying several other characters since debuting in The Generations, Rapulana Seiphemo is always known as Tau Mogale to South Africans. He won Duku Duku Award for Best Actor for his role in the TV series.

Rapulana Seiphemo’s Production Works

In 2003, Rapulana Seiphemo and his business associate, Kenneth Nkosi, established a film and TV production company, Stepping Stone Pictures. Through the company, the actor produced several TV shows and movies, as well as numerous content for Mzansi Magic. He served as the associate producer of the TV series, Mzansi in 2005. Four years later, he co-produced the romantic comedy film White Wedding.

The movie was SA’s official submission to the 82nd Academy Awards for the Best Foreign Film Award category. And it recorded moderate critical and commercial success in the country. The 56-year-old also served as the producer of the 2011 film Paradise Stop before subsequently producing the following TV series:

• Laugh Out Loud (2011)
• Perfect Sishebo (2014)
• Task Force (2014)
• State of Emergency: How to Make a Protest Movie

Rapulana Seiphemo’s Salary

Rapulana Seiphemo reportedly earned a monthly salary between R60,000 and R120,000 for his role as Tau Mogale in Generations and its continuation, Generations: The Legacy. While he featured in 2,946 episodes in the former, he appeared in 932 episodes in the latter.

Additionally, he allegedly received a pay cut to join The Queen in 2020, and he was said to have earned between R40,000 and R50,000 per month for portraying the character of Colonel Hector Sebata in the Ferguson Film’s TV series. Seiphemo was cast on the show for two seasons and made away with a huge sum of money which significantly contribute to his total fortune.

What is Rapulana Seiphemo’s Net Worth?

Rapulana Seiphemo’s net worth is $3 million (R50 million). He has amassed staggering wealth through his plethora of careers – acting, production, directing, tutoring, radio, and TV presenting. Though he began his acting career in 1989, he transitioned into a tutor after he graduated from Texas A&M. Between 1995 and 1997, he worked as a tutor at Fuba Academy, Sibikwa Community Theatre Group, and Wits University.

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He later moved back to acting, which mostly accounts for his total wealth, and has featured in numerous stage productions, TV series, and movies. Besides working as a producer, Rapulana Seiphemo has directed many theatre productions. And they include Five Past Two at the Sibikwa Community Theatre (1996) and Athol Fugard’s Master Harold and the Boys at the Market Theatre (1998).

Also, in 2010, he served as the judge of Class Act, a SABC1 reality competition TV series. In that same year, Seiphemo launched his TV hosting career, working as the host of the SABC1 reality game show, Ambush. Later in 2018, he made his radio debut and hosted two-weekend shows on Motsweding FM. He quit his work after one of his slots was axed by the management of the radio station.

Is Rapulana Seiphemo Still Alive?

Yes, Rapulana Seiphemo is still alive, well and kicking. However, in February 2016, he survived a ghastly auto crash that took the lives of three people. It happened that while the producer was waiting at a robot in Centurion in his Audi A4, two men named Nathi Msiza and Tebogo Makunyane attempted to hijack his car. He was held at gunpoint and asked to drive along the N14 to Mogale City.

One of the men smashed his car windows, and they jumped in. While Makunyane sat at the front, Msiza, who was armed, was sitting at the back. Trying to escape the hijacking, Seiphemo took the N14 off-ramp and drove at a very high speed. He was told to slow down by the hijackers, but he refused. As a result, Msiza jumped out of the moving vehicle, and while Makunyane was wrestling for control of the steering wheel with the actor, the car collided with Toyota Corolla.

Sadly, two passengers in the Corolla died at the spot along with one of the hijackers, Tebogo Makunyane. On the other hand, Rapulana Seiphemo was rushed to Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg, where he underwent surgery, having sustained critical injuries. Thankfully, he survived the car accident and has returned to work. Nathi Msiza also survived after jumping out from the car, but he was arrested and charged to court.

Who is Rapulana Seiphemo’s Wife?

Rapulana Seiphemo is married to Olga Rubeiro. The couple exchanged marital vows in 2003 at the Royal Swazi Sun Hotel in Ezulwini, Eswatini. Their union is blessed with three children – two sons and a daughter named Katlego Seiphemo. Interestingly, in 2010, Rapulana Seiphemo’s daughter starred alongside her dad in the movie Paradise Stop.

Rapulana Seiphemo’s wife, Olga Rubeiro, is said to be the daughter of a retired Portuguese panel-beater. She is allegedly an executive director at Le Blaq.

Rapulana’s Marriage Has Been Hit by Several Cheating Scandals

Generations stars Rapulana Seiphemo and Zoe Mthiyane cosy up off-screen: https://t.co/hR22yABgBN pic.twitter.com/DSbNfhEmiY

— Sowetan LIVE (@SowetanLIVE) August 24, 2017

On many occasions, Rapulana Seiphemo’s marriage to Olga Rubeiro has been rumored to be over based on cheating allegations, but the Generations star constantly refuted the rumor. Nevertheless, many people still believe that the couple must have separated more than once but have settled their differences, as Rapulana has been romantically involved with a number of women in the past years.

In February 2013, it was reported that the Soweto native was arrested for assaulting his girlfriend at their home in Honeydew, northwest of Johannesburg. He was detained at the Roodepoort police station for some time but was released on bail. Although he admitted cheating on his wife in an interview, he denied that their marriage was on the verge of collapsing in March 2014.

Later on, he was reported to be dating a woman identified as Zoe van der Jeke from Ceres in the Western Cape. Then in 2020, when actress Zoe Mthiyane was fired from Generations: The Legacy, it was discovered that Zoe had an affair with Seiphemo, but she broke up with him after learning that he was cheating on her with one of the ladies on Generations set.

The break-up allegedly caused Zoe to suffer depression which affected her professional conduct at work, leading to the termination of her contract. Subsequently, the filmmaker was linked to another Generations actress, Zandile Tshukulu, with whom he reportedly shares a child, but the rumor about their love child is yet to be confirmed. Even though Rapulana’s extramarital affairs have been alleged to ruin his marriage, he has denied the divorce rumors.