KAGISO MODUPE’S NEW DECADE

He’s an actor, director, and businessman. But his most important roles are being a father to his three kids and a devoted husband to his wife

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He’s just turned 40 and has a brand-newish baby at home, but that hasn’t slowed down the tons of projects Kagiso Modupe is spearheading. He isn’t one to let the grass grow under his feet in his professional or personal life. He gives it his all, whether heʼs working as the man behind Bakwena Productions, or playing the role of Mangaliso Nyathi on Scandal, or Simo Nkosi on Nqobile, or acting in any of his other roles, including in the award-winning movie Losing Lerato, or directing films like Thando... the list goes on.

Kagiso is quite laid-back, except when he starts talking about his children, his wife Liza and his passion projects. This is an exciting time for the dad, who has two daughters and welcomed a son at the end of 2023, who came as quite a surprise. “This little guy came out of nowhere,” he jokes.

After their two daughters, Tshimollo ya Botshelo (which means ʻthe beginning of life’) and second-born Motheo wa Botlhale (which means ʻthe foundation of wisdom for the family’), Kagiso and Liza thought their family was complete. “We’ve always said we wanted three kids, and we thought maybe we’d adopt the third. Then this guy came along.

“I came home from work and was shown a positive pregnancy test. I even remember saying we were supposed to be travelling. Guess what? Boom, we were having a baby!”

It wasn’t long before the excitement took over “and it’s been six months (and counting) of bliss”. This translated to the name they gave him: “I believe he’s God-sent, he came through the ancestors. My ancestors just blessed me, after having to go through a tough time. That’s why his name is Paballo ya Bakwena – ‘the grace of the Bakwenas’.

“My son is such a blessing and he’s just brought so much energy into the house and to everyone around him, which is cool. The girls are playing like they are parents to him, and it’s also been an adjustment for Motheo that she’s not the baby any more. At first, she was like, ‘Why are you having another baby?’ but now she’s the one who’s very protective of him and wants to cuddle him all the time, even though she holds on too tight,” he says, beaming.

THE FAMILY UNIT
“I think the girls have found someone they want to protect because our family is very protective of each other. We move as a unit, we cry as a unit, we go to war as a unit.” He makes an example of his sister’s fight against cancer [she is in remission]. “The whole family was there for the ringing of the bell. It was an emotional moment for all of us. But that’s how we move.”

He and Liza – with whom he is still deeply in love – have a system at home when it comes to taking care of their kids. “I do the mornings; I wake up at 4am, I make packed lunches and make sure the transport picks them up, and then they go off to school. Mom then does the afternoons; she picks them up from school and then it’s the homework. I come in late and be the fun guy.

“I’m intentional about the time I spend with my kids. One of the things I do, even in the Scandal days, is when I negotiate my contract, I do so with the school calendar in mind. So if there’s hockey that day, or other sports, it’s in my calendar.”

A WORKING MAN
When we meet up with Kagiso, there are two things that are quite clear: he hates being late, anywhere, and he believes in the value of the arts. To him, it’s a vocation, a calling.

His most recent work might be a bit more behind the scenes as a director, but he’s still very much in the spotlight. He’s currently working on Losing Lerato 2, Blind Love and an eight-part TV series. “And they are all going to be done this year,” he says.

I GREW UP WITH A FATHER WHO MADE ME AWARE THAT "THIS IS WHO YOU ARE AND THIS IS WHERE YOU COME FROM" AND IT DOESN'T MAKE YOU ANY LESS OF A PERSON

He can still remember his first job, which was an advert. “I was on TV for 30 seconds my first time. In fact, it wasn't even 30 seconds, it was seven seconds. Yoh, the way I was famous! Thatʼs the moment where I realised, ‘Oh, shucks, I’m famous but the money is already gone’.” The advert aired on TV for 12 months.

It was that job that taught him how hectic it can be to balance fame and how the public views you. “They have this perception where they need to see someone like you in a Lamborghini because you are on TV for a year.” To them, Kagiso says, it’s not about the fact that the job was done months ago and it’s only seven seconds. What a first introduction to fame!

MY FATHER’S SON
If there’s one thing his father taught him, it was how to take care of a family. He starts the story by recalling parts of his childhood that had a lasting impact on him: “I was privileged enough to be one of the first kids who was taken to white schools because of my good marks, so we could be integrated. I got there in Grade Six, and in that year they were choosing prefects. There were other kids whose parents were politicians and were integrated earlier, around 1990 when Nelson Mandela came out. We came in around ’94 or ’95, and I was selected as a prefect (the only black prefect).”

He shows off a picture he still keeps on his phone of the day they took the prefect pictures. “You see this? You can’t even find me,” he jokes. “At the time, that’s when I realised there’s a bigger responsibility. It’s not about me being the token black boy. So, for me, there was no such thing as peer pressure in school and out of it.”

He makes an example of his daily lunch at the time. “I carried eggs to school, day in and day out. They were boiled, fried, scrambled. It was eggs. Even that was a stretch because eggs were essentially the meat at home, but my parents were really trying to make sure that when I went to that school, I always had a great lunch.

“When we were going out with the school, I would get either a Yogi Sip or a Schweppes; I had to choose. And the only time I got a bread roll with ham inside was when we had real outings so that I could fit in with the other kids. But other than that, every day was eggs.” When he got tired of eggs, he would eat peanut butter.

“This is why I’ve always been aware of who I am and what I’m about. I grew up with a father who made me aware that ʻThis is who you are and this is where you come from’. And it doesn’t make you any less of a person.”

Does he still eat eggs? “I still love them,” he says.

Kagiso remembers the first item of food he ever brought home. It was around the 15th of the month. His dad got paid on the 25th of the month, which meant that things started getting lean around the middle of the month. His dad was so proud of him, he recalls.

“There was I&J in Springs and they used to throw out food that was about to expire, so they had a dump site. It’s a dangerous place but I went there with friends and we collected [what was thrown out]. When I came back, my mother was mad, because children got injured there. Then my dad came home. I knew if you upset Mom during the day, at night it’s a hiding from Dad. But then just that moment of him being so proud made me become the type of guy that works for family.”

He brought home canned fish, tuna, beans and Bull Brand corned beef. “It was the first time I tasted it. My mom made it with fried onions and pap – it was amazing!”

Even though his father passed away four years ago, the life lessons remain. There are also lessons he learned from his mom that he will never forget.

He detours back to his children, saying that he doesn’t want them to search for role models outside of their home. “My biggest fear – that’s maybe why I don’t cheat – is I don’t want my kids to speak of a father that left their home. I dig my family too much.”

LESSONS LEARNED, LESSONS SHARED
Feeling nostalgic, Kagiso recalls another lesson he learned when played soccer in the streets with his friends, and how they would challenge each other. Each person would contribute R1 and the winners would get the pot.

“We had just won and my team had just bought food (Russians, etc) and my dad came to call me home.

“You know, with boys, once that food packet is open, you need to dig in quick and fast. And there my father is calling me and I’m trying to tell him I’m busy trying to get my share. He let me. The packet was opened and we all grabbed. He then said I should wrap my share in paper. He took me home, called my mom, my brother and my sister, and said we should all eat.”

Kagiso learned a valuable lesson. “When you are a man, you hunt for your family. A man doesn’t eat alone and he doesn’t eat in the street. You bring it home. You share. And now, when I’m away, it’s very hard to eat because I must have meals with my family. Before you leave home, you make sure everyone is sorted – whether you are leaving for a night or two weeks. That’s what my father taught me.”

These are the same lessons he’s teaching his own children. “Motheo is doing a film and she’s getting paid. When she gets paid, she knows [at the age of 8] that she needs to go buy mom something, buy something for her sister and brother. That’s how I try and instil those things. So that they know that when you win, we will win with you. When you lose, we lose with you.”

AN OPEN INDUSTRY
Kagiso has a few passion projects, one of which is Adopt A Legend, which is focused on actors who did not have the opportunity to make money in the industry. “There are a lot of legends out there and, in their time, there wasn’t a lot of money in TV. There wasn’t a lot of knowledge on how to do it; it was about fame and the craft. We are trying to find a way to bridge that gap, whether they are still on TV or not.

He’s also quite passionate about ensuring that the boy child is not left behind, which is where his focus is. “Iʼm a big advocate for standing up for men and also reprimanding. I feel like society keeps pointing fingers but society is not fixing.” This is something he’s pouring his heart and soul into with Bakwena Productions.

He goes back to chatting about one of his greatest loves, television. South African productions have gone Clockwise from top: The Modupe family; Kagiso with wife Liza; in the director's chair on set international and Kagiso is here for it! They are no longer limited to local channels and have access to streaming networks like Netflix, Showmax and Prime.

“It’s a good thing, because we are able to now showcase who we are and tell our stories. We are not going around chasing Hollywood now, Hollywood is coming to us. We have the ideas and we have the stories and they are brilliant.”

Is there anyone who he’d want to work with in Hollywood? “As an actor, Denzel Washington, and as a director, Tyler Perry. And maybe Al Pacino...” he says. With this hyperfocus, it might just happen.

By: Thulani Gqirana
Photographs: Zhann Solomons