Peter Mashigo is a South African actor who made a name for himself following his appearance in the vastly popular drama series ‘Mzansi’ which was televised on the South African channel SABC 1 between 2005 and 2006. He has also featured in other popular telenovelas such as The Herd, The Throne, Gold Diggers, and Gomora.
Peter Mashigo is a household name and an iconic figure in the South African film and movie industry. He has starred in a host of movies and drama series the most popular of which is Mzansi. Peter Mashigo played the character of Lunga in ‘Mzansi’, placing his name firmly and squarely at the center of almost every Mzansi-related discussion regarding movies or dama series and this consequently earned him The Best Newcomer on TV Award sponsored by DukuDuku.
Summary of Peter Mashigo’s Biography
Full name: Peter Mashigo
Gender: Male
Ethnicity: Black
Nationality: South African
Sexual Orientation: Straight
Marital Status: Married
Peter Mashigo’s Wife: Mpumi Mashigo
Famous for: His role in Mzansi and other television series
As Far As We Know, Peter Mashigo Was Born In Soweto, South Africa
A lot is unknown, or at the very least uncertain about the early life of Peter Mashigo. Asides from the fact that his place of birth is largely believed to be Soweto, hardly anything else is really known about Peter Mashigo’s early life. Mashigo is almost compulsive and obsessive and sometimes, overboard and controversial attempts at keeping his personal life extremely private, do little to encourage those seeking details about Peter Mashigo’s early life.
There is little or no public record available about Peter Mashigo’s father or his mother, neither are there any details, information, or even pointers that lead to Mashigo’s siblings or even references to them in case they are alive. Details about his age, where he was born, as well as when he was born are also unknown and remain rather elusive. To this end, stories about his early life are rife with speculations, assumptions, controversies, and uncertainties.
No public information is available about his early life, however, as soon as we can provide verifiable information on her personal life, this column will be updated.
There Are A Lot Of Speculations About His Educational Background
As with Peter Mashingo’s family background, birth, and early life, quite a number of things remain yet unknown with regards to his educational history. It’s also largely unknown what part his education contributed to establishing the bedrock upon which he decided on a career in acting before building on it to become the success he is today.
The social media sphere is abuzz with various and most times divergent views regarding Peter Mashigo’s educational background. These speculations and assumptions are yet to be verified, and as such, we are unable to ascertain the credibility of any information referencing Peter Mashigo’s educational background. However, this page will be duly updated as soon as these details are available.
Peter Mashigo’s Acting Career Began From Stage Productions
Mashigo’s contributions to the South African entertainment industry, specifically in theatre, film, media, and other areas are nothing short of exceptional.
The thespian got his big break via the stage production of the award-winning stage play Asinamali in 1987. The play depicts the lives of different dark-skinned prisoners telling their life stories. The stories highlight the different but essentially similar struggles they encountered during the apartheid regime, as well as the role the apartheid regime played in their suffering and ultimate imprisonment.
The play was inspired by true-life events which occurred during the infamous Lamontville township rent strike of 1983 in South Africa which was spearheaded by social and political activist Msizi Dube. His chant of ‘Asinamali’ which is loosely interpreted as ‘we have no money’ in Zulu, served as the rallying cry for the strike. It was in this powerful, simply staged but profoundly energetic piece of well synchronized and amazingly improvised work of theatre that Peter Mashigo broke into the South African entertainment scene.
Mashigo did not intend to stop there, as just a year later, he was back on stage, letting his acting prowess shine through in the 1988 production of Abhabemi which was directed by Darlington Michaels. Peter Mashigo starred alongside a number of excellent stage performers, such as Ellen Bile, Lulama Yamani, as well as Kholofelo Kola. The play was produced in Johannesburg at the New Black Sun which is located at the Orange Grove.
His Performance In Not with My Gun Is One Of His Best
He went on to stage-manage the play, Not with My Gun while simultaneously playing the role of ‘Brains’. The play takes an in-depth look at the black elites who were just emerging from the trials of the post-apartheid era, putting them into focus. The play shows a successful black elite who decides to organize a party for three of his childhood friends on the eve of one of the friend’s weddings when they catch a burglar.
They soon discover the burglar is white and begin to struggle with exactly how to handle the situation, especially with their instinctive need to exact revenge on the white criminal as a response to the suffering apartheid has caused them. The play was premièred in July 1998 at the Grahamstown Festival. Aubrey Sekhabi directed the play while Peter Mashigo took charge of the stage management, simultaneously starring in the play alongside notable dramatists like Baby Cele, Vusi Kunene, Slindile Nodangala, John Lata/Tshallo Chokwe, Paul Lückhoff, and Kholofelo Kola.
Below is a list of some notable works by Peter Mashigo:
- Boo & TT
- Ga Re Dumele
- Generations
- Gold Diggers
- Gomora
- Heartlines
- Intersexions
- Mzansi
- Saints and Sinners
- Scandal
- Sober Companion
- Soul City
- Tempy Pushas
- Thandeka’s Diary
- The Herd
- The Queen
- The Throne
- Ya Lla
- Zabalaza
- Z’bondiwe
Mashigo’s Personal Life Has Not Recorded Similar Success Like His Career
Peter Mashigo’s personal life has been riddled with loads of controversies. The Gomora actor was accused by his now ex-wife of being an irresponsible father. The veteran actor, who has starred in countless South African telenovelas and soap operas, allegedly failed to pay child maintenance. Court documents reportedly show that Peter Mashigo has not paid child support in 11 years and is currently sitting on arrears of over 300,000 rands.
He was expected to make a monthly payment of R3000 every month towards the support and welfare of both his children, Zintle and Rati. Mashigo’s ex-wife however alleged that he hadn’t paid welfare beyond 2009.
She also alleged that their marriage of 20 years broke down as a result of his consistent infidelity and betrayal of their marital vows. While the veteran actor has remained silent on this issue, he was fired from The Throne TV series in 2019 after he was exposed on camera beating up his then-lover, Sithole Ndundu in Pretoria.
The veteran actor has however found love again in the arms of his current wife Mpumi Mashigo whom he married in a low-profile wedding at Mpumalanga, her hometown. Even though the actor did not invite most of his relatives to his second marriage because he wanted to keep it under the radar, Peter Mashigo seems to be gradually taking back control of his life.
