Thembi Seete (born 25th of March 1977) is a 47-year-old South African actress, singer, musician, presenter, and Instagram Star best known for working in the shows such as Jika Majika, Rhythm City, Clash of the Choirs, etc.Â
Fans of Kwaito music will need no introduction to any of the members of Boom Shaka, the pioneering South African music group that became one of the most successful bands out of the country in the 1990s. Following the dissolution of the group, after its lead singer Lebo Mathosa decided to start her own solo career in 2000, other members like Thembi Seete have been able to forge ahead by establishing themselves in careers outside of music.
Being the risk-taker that she is, as she is someone who is willing to do all that it takes to get to where she wants to be, Thembi has been able to launch an acting career, playing different roles in a variety of TV series and movies. She has also taken up TV hosting, serving as an anchor on some of the more popular shows on South African television.
Summary of Thembi Seete’s Biography
- Full name: Thembi Seete
- Gender: Female
- Date of birth: 25th of March 1977
- Place of Birth: Soweto, Gauteng province, South Africa
- Thembi Seete’s Age: 47 years old
- Ethnicity: Black
- Nationality: South African
- Zodiac Sign: Aries
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Religion: Christian
- Marital Status: Unmarried
- Thembi Seete’s Children: Dakalo (son)
- Thembi Seete’s Parents: Rebecca Seete (mother)
- Siblings: Moagi Seete (brother)
- Thembi Seete’s Height in Inches:Â 5′ 4″
- Thembi Seete’s Height in Centimetres: 163
- Thembi Seete’s Weight: 53 Kg/117 lbs.
- Body measurements in inches: (Breast-waist-hips) 36-25-34
- Hair Color: Black
- Eye Color: Dark Brown
- Bra Size: 32D
- Shoe Size (US): 5
- Thembi Seete’s Net worth: $3.5 million
- Famous for: Working in the shows such as Jika Majika, Rhythm City, Clash of the Choirs, etc.
- Thembi Seete’s Instagram: thembiseete_
Thembi Seete is One of Many South African Entertainers To Come Out of Soweto
Soweto, which became the largest Black city in South Africa after the White government created townships to separate Blacks from Whites in the country, has produced a long list of talented people. They include anti-apartheid activists like Frank Chikane, Tokyo Sexwale, and Cyril Ramaphosa; athletes like Teko Modise, Thulani Serero, and Lucas Radebe; and then entertainers like Trevor Noah, Mandoza, Khanyi Mbau, and Lasizwe Dambuza among many others.
Among the latter category of people to have come out of Soweto is Thembi Seete. She was born on the 25th of March 1977, about a year after the Soweto uprising; when mass protests erupted in the town over the government’s decision to enforce education in Afrikaans rather than the native language of the people.
Not much else is known about her early life, including the details of where she received her early education and the identity of her father. Her mother, on the other hand, has been identified as Rebecca Seete and she is known to have a brother who is named Moagi Seete.
Her Time With Boom Shaka
The earliest available information on the life of Thembi Seete traces back to 1994 when she was made a part of the kwaito supergroup, Boom Shaka. The group, which was put together by South African music producer Don Laka as a way to evolve the country’s music scene beyond the genre of Bubblegum, stayed together from 1994 to 2000 when they broke up.
During their time together, Boom Shaka enjoyed massive success as their new sound and style appealed to a youthful audience. They were further able to break into the international market, performing in cities like London among other places. With the presence of lead female vocalists like Lebo Mathosa and Thembi, the group was also viewed as early voices of the feminist movement although many believed their antics were more objectifying than revolutionary.
Thembi Has Appeared in a Number of SABC1 Projects
Following the break up of her group, Thembi Seete began an acting career. In 2000, she made an appearance in the Oliver Schmitz-directed film, Hijack Stories, before then launching her long-standing relationship with SABC1 by taking up a role in the drama series, Yizo Yizo.
Thembi would later go on to take up the role of Lerato in the first two seasons of another SABC1 series, Gaz’lam (2002-2004). She further appeared as Pumla in the Brian Tilley-directed South African made-for-TV movie, Crossing the Line (2005). For 10 seasons, from 2006 to 2012, she served as the presenter of the SABC1 music dance show, Jika Majika.
In 2012, the same year she left the music dance show, the singer and actress became one of the seven choirmasters for the Mzansi Magic reality competition, Clash of the Choirs South Africa. Other gigs she went on to hold after that include being the host of the Mzansi Magic/Mzansi Wethu game show Nguwe Na?, a guest presenter at the 6th annual Crown Gospel Music Awards in 2013, and a guest star in the e.tv soap opera Rhythm City where she played the character Bongi.
Thembi Seete is a Mother
Rumors began swirling around in late 2017 that Thembi Seete was pregnant. Speaking in an interview when asked if she would confirm or deny the rumors, Thembi said that in her culture, information about an unborn baby is not shared. She went on to add that it is her dream to have a child and when the time is right, everybody would get to know about it.
Ms. Seete went on to welcome a son sometime in mid-2018. Other than her confirming her son’s arrival to fans via an Instagram post on Mother’s Day in 2018, not much else was known about him. She would however later go ahead to confirm that her son’s name is Dakalo, which means happiness in tshiVenda. Regarding who the child’s father is, the singer has opted to keep mum and not talk about it. She admitted to Sowetan Live that she is in a relationship with the said mysterious man and would go to lengths to keep his identity a secret. Rumors online, however, suggest that the said mystery man in her life is businessman Collen Mashawana.
See Also: Top 10 Richest African Artists: Black Coffee And Masekela Lead The Pack
Why Her High-Profile Relationship With Bobo Seritsane Ended
One reason why Thembi Seete might be choosing to keep her boyfriend’s identity a secret is because of the previous high profile relationship she was in. The actress was previously engaged to singer Bobo Seritsane, who she dated for about ten years.
Like her, Bobo is a household name in South Africa. The Mapetla-born singer is a member of the all male-pop band Denim. He began his journey to stardom at a young age when he featured in the 1993 Leon Schuster film There’s a Zulu on My Stoep. He has since then moved his career to different heights, performing in stadiums and arenas across the world in front of thousands of people.
The pair officially got engaged in 2012. According to reports, Bobo had wanted to settle down with the singer immediately after their engagement but Thembi was scared. Things continued going smoothly between the two until October 2017 when they decided to call it quits.
