Very rarely would you see a top-notch celebrity keep a majority of their lives secret but for Katlego Danke, this is the only way she knows.
Every information known about this South African actress, DJ, and TV host, she has permitted and told by herself. Others, she had no control of, to be honest.
She is a 46-year-old mother of one, whose father, the media is left guessing about.
However, one thing Danke wants you to know is that she is a successful actress whose roles in TV series such as Backstage, Generations, and Isidingo, as well as stage performances, have put her on a very high pedestal when it comes to the movie industry in South Africa.
Let’s find out intriguing details about this actress, shall we?
Katlego Danke Hails from North West, South Africa
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This South African actress and DJ prefers to be known as just that – a South African. This is because she has lived in many areas of the country including Mafikeng, Potchefstroom, Mabopane, and Ga-Rankuwa, where she spent most of her earliest days.
She has also spent time in Pretoria and Johannesburg and this also adds to why she prefers to identify as a thorough South African.
However, she was born in North West of South Africa on the 7th day of November, 1978.
Details of her early life and family members have not quite made it to the media but we do know about her mother. In an Instagram post celebrating the woman who bore her, Katlego mentioned that her mother is Qhawe.
Aside from Qhawe who obviously played a huge role in the life of the actress, other people who have left an imprint in her life are her grandmother and her aunty. She admitted to this when she was talking about how she had to draw inspiration from them for her role as Thati in Gomora.
Growing up, Katlego didn’t like her appearance. In fact, she admitted that she didn’t like to see herself in the mirror or even take pictures. However, in recent times, she made it twice 92006 and 2011) to FHM’a Sexiest Women in the World’s List.
She’s Been Part of the Following Stage Plays
This stage and TV actress laid the foundation for who she is now when she chose to attend the University of Cape Town. There, in 1998, she enrolled in the Theatre and Performance department and graduated with a degree at the age of 23 in 2001.
9 years later, in 2010, she also proceeded to Wits Business School where she got a Diploma in Management Studies.
With her knowledge of the former, she has gone on to mark her stamp in theatre performances. Danke has credits to the following stage plays;
- The Suit Miss Tertiary Feel
- The Town that was Mad
- Beyond the Veil
- The House of Kalumba
- Based on ‘Under Milkwood’
- Crimes of the Heart (as stage manager)
- Occupational Therapy Project
- King Lear
- Brett Bailey’s opera performance of Macbeth
In her 46 Years, the TV actress has Achieved So Much
Katlego’s TV roles began way back in 2001 when she made her first cameo in SOS (2001). Soon after, she began to get small roles in dramas such as Eine Liebe in Afrika (2002), and Sewende Lann in 2003, and then she joined the series Backstage (2002-2006).
Her roles have become bigger and better in recent times as she has featured in the following movies and soapies;
- Isidingo (2020) – as Kgothalo
- What’s Bothering Marc Lottering
- Generations (1993) – As Dineo Tlaole
- Gomora (2020) – As Thati (Onthatile Ndaba)
- Farewell Ella Bella (2018) – As Rose
- All About Love (2017) – As Sarah
- Madiba (2017) – As Adelaide Tambo
Katlego has Behind-the-Scenes Accolades
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Back in 2020, Danke suggested that she had plans of working behind the scenes. This meant that she had planned on directing or producing, moving on.
Although this did not particularly mean she planned on leaving her role as an actress, she promised to find a way to balance both careers.
In September 2023, she posted a short film on her Instagram. According to her caption, the film is a love story that didn’t play out how most would expect because life had other plans for the characters.
When asked by her followers if she acted in or directed the film, Katlego responded by saying she was behind the scenes for the project.
Certainly, she has started trying out her directing and producing capabilities.
She is a Mother
Back in October 2014, at the age of 36, the South African DJ welcomed her first (and so far, only) child.
Of course, the pregnancy was kept secret and so is the father of the boy. Over the following months and years, the actress teased her followers with some parts of the child’s features.
She eventually got to unveil and show his complete face but his name as well as his exact date of birth and father has remained something she isn’t willing to share, yet.
With her role as a mother, it is no surprise that she involves herself in charity works like The Johannesburg Children’s Home and The Abraham Kriel Children’s Home.
She is also a Brand Ambassador
Katlego has since used her fame as a prominent South African actress to bag endorsement deals. She started off with deals with brands such as Clover, Vanish, Klipdrift Brandy, and even Honda. Part of her contract with them included commercial acting and advertisements.
She has also brand-influenced for Ponds Passports as well as Philips Avent.
Those aside, her face has also appeared on the covers of popular magazines such as True Love, Real, and Drum.
Danke Katlego’s Award Shelf is Definitely Not Empty
She is no newbie to award nominations and wins. In 2020, Katlego Danke won the Best Actress Award at the South African Film and TV Awards (SAFTA). She won this award for her role as Dineo Mashaba in Generations.
Back in 2004, she was nominated for Best Screen Villain at the Duku-Duku 2004 Awards.
In 2009, Katlego was also nominated for the Best Dressed Actress category at the SAFTA.
In 2010, the DJ was nominated for a YOU Spectacular award in the category of Favorite Actress.
READ ALSO: Nancy Isime; 10 Unknown Facts About The Beautiful Nigerian Actress
Is She Free of Controversies and Rumors?
Try as she may have especially as she kept a lot of things secret and was very tight-lipped about her personal life, Katlego Danke has been in the news for more reasons than her acting.
Maybe it is because she doesn’t reveal certain things, people decide to make up stories about her.
For instance, not knowing who the father of her son is has made many people believe something else. For the longest of times, she has been put on a romantic ship with billionaire businessman, Patrice Motsepe.
The claims have been that he is the father of her child. Now, where there has been confusion is if he is the father of her son born in 2014, or the lady who alleged on TikTok that the South African TV host is her mother.
Both Danke and Motsepe have denied claims of their relationship and the actress even promised to take legal action against those peddling the rumors.
Another time the Isidingo actress made news was when she was behind on her rent and her home was on the verge of being taken away from her. Despite her stints in prominent TV roles, the actress was said to be owing R 21,000 in mortgage.
