Southern African Celebs

Thabo Mkhabela, born in 1992, is a South African actor, Poet and Art lecture. Born and raised in Bushbuckridge, Thabo is best known for his lead role as Leshole Mabitsela on SABC 1 tv series of Skeem Saam.

Biography profile

Name: Thabo Mkhabela
Date of birth: 1992
Age: 29 years old
Place of birth: Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga province
Occupation: Actor, Poet, Art Lecture at TUT
Known as: Leshole Mabitsela on Skeem Saam
Nationality: South African

Early age of Thabo Mkhabela

Thabo Mkhabela was born in 1992 in Mpumalanga province, South Africa. He was raised by his mother only, meaning he never had a father figure in his upbringing. Thabo said his father aimlessly roamed the streets of Hlamalane village in Bushbuckridge, Mpumalanga, without taking care of him.

The Skeem Saam star, Thabo recalls that his saddest moments is when he attended an initiation school in 2007. What saddened him was the fact that his peers were fetched by their fathers while he was fetched by his uncle. When he arrived home, he was sick and his family couldn’t celebrate his return. Despite of him being a successful actor, his dream was to become a lawyer.

Education of Thabo

Thabo Mkhabela attended the University of Limpopo. When he enrolled at this university, his aim was to study law but he was told that the course was full and the only course available was performing arts degree. And Thabo took it. He obtained his Bachelor of Arts degree. He also holds a master’s degree.¹

Thabo Mkhabela acting career

According to Thabo, getting an acting role was unexpected to him. While performing at Miss Mankweng in 2015, Thabo was spotted by the veteran actor Putla Sehlapelo, who plays Meneer Magongwa on Skeem Saam.

“He asked for my contact details after he praised me, saying I’m talented and that I should consider taking the craft seriously,” Mkhabela said.

The following week Thabo received a call from Skeem Saam that he should come to Johannesburg for auditions. “I went, I impressed them and I got the role of Leshole. It was the start of my story telling.” He added.

What does Thabo Mkhabela do apart from acting

Apart from acting, Thabo (Leshole Mabitsela) do poetry motivating students and doing stage acting in theatre. He is also a lecture of Arts at the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT).²

Related post: Skeem Saam actors and their ages