Leleti Khumalo(SARAFINA MOVIE STAR) THE MOST POPULAR MOVIE IN AFRICA

Spotlight on South African actress

Leleti Khumalo

Leleti Khumalo (born 1970 in Kwa Mashu township, north of Durban, South Africa) is a Zulu South African actress who played the leading role in the movie Sarafina! alongside Whoopi Goldberg. Showing an interest in performing from an early age, Khumalo joined a youth backyard dance group called Amajika, mentored by Tu Nokwe.

Sarafina!

In 1985, she auditioned for Mbongeni Ngema’s musical, which later became the international blockbuster Sarafina!, Ngema wrote the lead character of Sarafina especially for Khumalo. She is currently married to Mbongeni Ngema. But there have been recent speculations that he has had several affairs with different women, including the late Brenda Fassie.
Based on the 1976 Soweto youth uprisings, Sarafina! tells the story of a young school girl who is not afraid to fight for her rights and inspires her peers to rise up in protest, especially after her inspirational teacher, Mary Masembuko (Goldberg) is imprisoned.

Khumalo stars in 2004 movies Hotel Rwanda and Yesterday, of which the latter was been nominated for a 2005 Academy Award in the category "Best Foreign Language Film". Yesterday also scooped the Best Film award at India's Pune International Film Festival and had fantastic reactions at the Venice and Toronto International Film Festivals. 

Till now Leleti (Sarafina) is a movie star of:

• Faith's Corner (2005)
• Hotel Rwanda (2004)
• Yesterday (2004)
• Cry, the Beloved Country (1995)
• Sarafina! (1992)