Zoe Mthiyane (born November 9, 1983) is a South African actress and model famous for her role as Zitha Langa in Generations: The Legacy and Katherine in She is King (2017). The 40-year-old is also infamous for her short-lived high-profile romantic relationships.
Zoe is gorgeous, but her beauty hasn’t spared her from getting her heart broken. She has had intimate details about her personal life spilled all over the blogs and the tabloids. It would be interesting to find out how she balances her too-often tumultuous love life with a successfully blossoming acting career.
Zoe Mthiyane’s Profile Summary
- Full Name: Zoe Mthiyane
- Gender: Female
- Date of Birth: November 9, 1983
- Zoe Mthiyane’s Age: 40 years old
- Zodiac Sign: Scorpio
- Place of birth: Mabhuyeni, KwaZulu-Natal
- Nationality: South African
- Religion: Christian
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Marital Status: Single
- Children: 2
- Zoe Mthiyane’s Parents: Clara Nthalane (mother)
- Zoe Mthiyane’s Height in Inches: 5 feet 10 inches
- Zoe Mthiyane’s Height in Centimeters: 177 cm
- Famous For: Her acting career
- Zoe Mthiyane’s Instagram: @zoe_mthiyane_
Zoe Mthiyane Practically Grew up in Boarding School
Zoe Mthiyane was born on November 9, 1983, into a large polygamous family. She was raised in Mabhuyeni, Empangeni, in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. The village was very remote and underdeveloped; in fact, Zoe said that her father’s house was the only compound in the village that could boast of basic electricity. Her father was a powerful man – he had five wives of whom her mother was the youngest.
Talking about her life while growing up, Zoe Mthiyane has severally emphasized that she didn’t find it easy living with her father’s four other wives and their numerous children, so she always kept close to her mom and her five siblings. There were always breakouts of fighting, and she hated it. So it isn’t surprising that she went to boarding school when she was very young.
The actress attended Little Flower Primary School and later attended Ixopo High School, where she remained a boarding student till she graduated. Zoe didn’t have a very happy childhood and suffered from low self-esteem due to being bullied because of her height. It got so bad that her mother had to intervene. Her mother, Clara Nthalane, was a former beauty queen and would have none of it. She trained Zoe to walk in heels to improve her posture and put her in many beauty pageants to help Zoe build self-confidence.
Looking at the 40-year-old star now, it is totally impossible to imagine that someone so elegant was ever insecure about her looks. The poise and confidence she exudes, together with her charisma and sex appeal, make it impossible to resist falling in love with her.
Zoe Has Been in the Movie Industry For Over 14 Years and Counting
Zoe Mthiyane’s most striking feature is her impressive height. At 5′ 10″, she towers over most women in the movie industry. However, she wasn’t always an actress. Zoe began her career in modeling – an industry that values height over most qualities, if I must say – but was unsatisfied with it. She became the face of the talcum powder brand, Ponds, before deciding to venture into acting, and today, she is one of South Africa’s most recognizable actresses.
What brought Zoe to the attention of South African soap opera lovers was her role as Zitha Langa in the SABC1 TV series, Generations: The Legacy in 2014. Her mischievous and scheming character immediately became a fan favorite, and Zoe hasn’t looked back since then. She has been in the movie industry for over 14 years and counting.
Apart from her acting, Zoe is a very talented singer. In fact, she sang the opening number in the 2016 box-office hit, Legend of Tarzan. The song was produced and co-written by Rupert Gregson-Williams and Lebo Morake (ex-fiancé). This isn’t her first major singing role in an international movie.
In 2007, when she was only fourteen, she sang in the Lion King theoretical production featuring Lebo M and Hans Zimmer. She played the role of Sarabi, the Queen mother. In 2017, the versatile actress wowed South Africans again with her performance as ‘Katherine’ in the movie, She is King. Zoe Mthiyane is the gift that keeps on giving.
Zoe Mthiyane Is Not Married, But She Has Baby Daddies
Zoe Mthiyane has been romantically linked to a couple of celebrities over the years. She was notably involved with celebrity sports journalist and OAP, Robert Marawa. Theirs was a torrid love affair, and they had a son together. When they broke up, they also did so passionately, with accusations, counter-accusations, and lots of court drama too.
Zoe revealed that Robert was an alcoholic who influenced her to begin drinking as well. When he claimed to be a responsible father on social media, Zoe immediately countered him and dared him to deny that he was a deadbeat father. Their son was born on July 18, 2011, at The Bay Hospital and is 12 years old.
Sadly, our model-turned-actress hasn’t been too lucky in her relationships. Her relationship with Lebo M was her most toxic relationship yet. They famously got engaged, and they had a daughter together. However, Zoe called off the wedding when Lebo refused to agree to certain pre-nuptial agreements. She called him disrespectful and vengeful. It’s quite disheartening to see a beautiful woman like this get beat down in the name of love (reminds me of Halle Berry).
What Happened Between Zoe Mthiyane and Rapulana Seiphemo?
Zoe Mthiyane happens to be a hopeless romantic because, despite all she had been through in her previous relationships, she fell in love yet again while on the set of Generations – and this time with fellow Generations actor, Rapulana Seiphemo. At first, she refused to confirm the relationship, but blogs and reporters continually hounded her until she finally gave in and confirmed that they were involved. This was her most publicized relationship yet, and they were fondly called ‘Generation’s IT Couple.’
However, tragedy struck again as Seiphemo cheated on her with someone working with them on set. This was the straw that broke the camel’s back, and beautiful Zoe suffered a mental breakdown, spiraling into depression. The lovely actress said she was continuously bullied by Rapulana’s new girlfriend and her friends, causing her to go back to her alcoholic habits. She was eventually fired from the series because she couldn’t get a grip on her personal issues.
Neither Zoe nor Rapulana ever confirmed their breakup, but it’s clear they have both moved on. It takes a lot of courage to keep trying at something even when it looks hopeless, but that’s what Zoe Mthiyane did. She refuses to give up on love, and that is very admirable. Still, it wouldn’t hurt her to take a break and focus on other aspects of life, like family and work. Would it?
Life Looks Amazing for the Mother of Two
These days Zoe Mthiyane is absent from the gossip blogs, and it’s very clear to see that she is only focused on herself and her family at the moment. Ms. Mthiyane is a mother of two lovely children. Her son, Awande Marawa, is 12, and her daughter, Lulonke Morake, is just six years old. She raises them with assistance from their fathers.
Zoe has spoken about how stressful co-parenting is, and it isn’t surprising given how messy her breakups with the men involved. In an interview in 2016, she confessed that she had to make a conscious decision not to let her personal drama disrupt the quality of her children’s lives. It’s clear to see that she has a lovely little family if her Instagram photos are anything to go by.
Her latest movie, Hotel on the Koppies, is a drama flick based on the recent coronavirus pandemic. We cannot wait for Zoe Mthiyane to come back to our screens in all her glory. For now, it looks like we’ll have to respect her decision to give us only Instagram pictures.
