{"id":9178,"date":"2025-06-09T11:27:48","date_gmt":"2025-06-09T09:27:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/?p=9178"},"modified":"2026-03-12T10:31:48","modified_gmt":"2026-03-12T08:31:48","slug":"presley-chweneyagae-laid-to-rest","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/presley-chweneyagae-laid-to-rest\/","title":{"rendered":"Presley Chweneyagae Laid to Rest: Warren Masemola Shares Emotional Tribute"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>South African actor\u00a0Warren Masemola\u00a0delivered a heartfelt and powerful tribute at the funeral of\u00a0Presley Chweneyagae, revealing deeply personal moments and calling out the dangerous influence of\u00a0alcohol abuse\u00a0in the entertainment industry and broader South African society.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-presley-and-i-fought-a-lot-masemola-opens-up\">\u2018Presley and I Fought a Lot\u2019: Masemola Opens Up<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Masemola, speaking at the&nbsp;<strong>Akasia Community Hall<\/strong>&nbsp;in Pretoria on Saturday, did not shy away from addressing the late&nbsp;<em>Tsotsi<\/em>&nbsp;star\u2019s struggles. The award-winning actor recounted how he and Presley often clashed\u2014not out of animosity, but from love and concern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cMy friend and I fought a lot. Presley and I fought a lot,\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.tiktok.com\/@newzroom405\/video\/7513135848288750853\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Masemola<\/a> said through tears. \u201cWe fought because we loved each other, over work, our children, and being responsible men.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>ALSO READ: <a href=\"https:\/\/gauteng.news\/2025\/06\/06\/presley-chweneyagae-memorial-service-pta\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Presley Chweneyagae Memorial Service in Pretoria: Honouring the Iconic South African Actor<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Chweneyagae\u2019s Death and Memorial Services<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Presley Chweneyagae died two weeks ago at the age of 40. His passing shocked the South African film industry and the public. Two memorials took place before the funeral. One was <a href=\"https:\/\/www.citizen.co.za\/entertainment\/warren-masemola-presley-and-i-fought-a-lot-as-tsotsi-star-is-laid-to-rest-in-pretoria\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">held<\/a> in his hometown, Mahikeng. The other was at the South African State Theatre in Pretoria.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Chweneyagae gained fame for his leading role in the Oscar-winning film&nbsp;<em>Tsotsi<\/em>. He remained a well-known figure in local television and theatre.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Alcohol Abuse and SA&#8217;s Drinking Culture<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>In a bold and emotional address, Masemola criticized South Africa\u2019s widespread drinking culture, suggesting that it had played a role in Chweneyagae\u2019s personal challenges.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe can\u2019t start our day at seven in the morning by consuming alcohol and get home at five in the morning. That\u2019s 22 hours of drinking,\u201d said Masemola, drawing applause from mourners.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He also spoke directly to Chweneyagae\u2019s circle of friends, blaming some for enabling harmful behaviors rather than helping Presley be the responsible father and husband he needed to be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The Role of Friends and Accountability<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Masemola recounted a vivid story where he drove from Johannesburg to Pretoria to pick up Chweneyagae, only to find him at&nbsp;<strong>Stasie Kombuis<\/strong>, a popular tavern. The moment, while initially met with laughter, was used by Masemola to make a serious point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cDon\u2019t laugh. His friends from Stasie Kombuis\u2026 teach your children civic order. Take accountability in your lives,\u201d he urged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He emphasized that real friendship involves confrontation and uncomfortable truths, especially when a loved one is veering off course.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Systemic Alcohol Influence in Black Communities<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>Masemola ended his eulogy with a reference to broadcaster&nbsp;<strong>Penny Lebyane<\/strong>, who once explained how alcohol was systematically weaponized during apartheid to destroy black families starting with men, and now targeting women through influencer marketing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cNow the mother and the father are both drinking alcohol. What will be of our kids if alcohol is seen as high class?\u201d he asked solemnly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h3 class=\"wp-block-heading\">A Final Goodbye<\/h3>\n\n\n\n<p>As South Africa mourns one of its brightest talents, Masemola\u2019s eulogy serves as both a tribute and a wake-up call. His message echoed beyond the walls of the community hall, sparking conversations about\u00a0mental health, addiction, and <a href=\"https:\/\/iol.co.za\/entertainment\/celebrity-news\/local\/2025-06-07-presley-chweneyagaes-funeral-warren-masemola-and-the-river-cast-honour-the-iconic-actor\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">the<\/a> importance of\u00a0honest friendships\u00a0in the face of adversity.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>South African actor\u00a0Warren Masemola\u00a0delivered a heartfelt and powerful tribute at the funeral of\u00a0Presley Chweneyagae, revealing deeply personal moments and calling out the dangerous influence of\u00a0alcohol abuse\u00a0in the entertainment industry and broader South African society. \u2018Presley and I Fought a Lot\u2019: Masemola Opens Up Masemola, speaking at the&nbsp;Akasia Community Hall&nbsp;in Pretoria on Saturday, did not shy<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":9189,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_focus_keyword":"","rank_math_title":"","rank_math_description":"South African actor\u00a0Warren Masemola\u00a0delivered a heartfelt and powerful tribute at the funeral of\u00a0Presley Chweneyagae, revealing deeply personal moments and...","footnotes":""},"categories":[1706],"tags":[2068],"class_list":{"0":"post-9178","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-entertainment","8":"tag-presley-chweneyagae"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9178","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9178"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9178\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9215,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9178\/revisions\/9215"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9189"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9178"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9178"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.gauteng.net\/whats-on-g\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9178"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}