Kagiso Lediga ventured into comedy while studying at the University of Cape Town 9 years ago and over the ensuing years set about establishing himself as one of South Africa’s top comedians. Not only is now lauded amongst the best comedians in the country with an impressive body of work behind him but is also now celebrated as one of South Africa’s pioneering and most recognizable black comedians
His talent and ability can easily be confirmed by an exhaustive trail of achievements and accolades. Testament of this is the fact that he has graced the stages of all the biggest comedy events in South Africa including the most prestigious one in the Cape Town International Comedy Festival where he won the People’s Choice Award in the company of acclaimed comedians from all over the world. Other comedy events he has performed at are Laugh Out Loud, Comedy Blackout, Kingsize Heavyweight Comedy Jams, Blacks Only, Freshest Comedy Festival, Pure Monate Comedy Jam, Let Durban Laugh Festival....the list is endless.
He has also entertained corporate crowds all over the country with his refreshingly intelligent and thought provoking brand of comedy, a list boasting a wide spectrum of companies from various sectors of the economy. His talents can be further confirmed by the fact that he has performed successfully overseas as well, performing at the internationally renowned Edinburgh Comedy Festival as well as in the famous comedy clubs of New York and Toronto. His ability to adapt his material according to his audiences but leave them in raptures has always been a strong feature of his repertoire wherever he performs.
In 2012 he performed his first ever one man show aptly entitled – “Kagiso Lediga – In A Suit”. It was an amalgamation of his best work from over a decade of performing and current material relevant to the times. It was a tour de force – selling out houses in Johannesburg, Durban and Soweto. A dvd of this show will be available in 2013 and is sure to allow comedy enthusiasts to see Kagiso Lediga like they have never seen him before.
He also has a flair for writing brave and entertaining content and he has also been working towards producing content that is shaking up the South African film industry. It is testament to his creative ability, that he is now recognized as one of the young, up and coming television and film producers in the country. This was first evident when the sketch comedy series, the Pure Monate Show which he produced, wrote and performed in was voted in the top 5 most entertaining local programmes on SABC 1 for 2004 and was nominated in 8 categories of the South African Film and Television Awards. As the anchor of the show, he fast became a household TV personality nationwide and is now recognized wherever he performs. He went on to play roles on various other tv shows such as the Phat Joe Show, Sorted and Hard Copy.
After the producing the Pure Monate Show – Kagiso together with co-executive producer Loyiso Gola – put together satirical news show – Late Nite News with Loyiso Gola on etv & the eNews Channel. 2 years later – this show can only be described as a groundbreaking success. Going into its 6th Season in 2013 – the show now pulls in about 2 million viewers every week. Kagiso is also now directing the tv show.
His successful foray in TV led to Kagiso’s involvement in films. He has already acted in two but it is with a movie called Bunny Chow which he produced and also was the lead actor that he once again finds himself in the headlines. This movie which was opened at box offices both locally and internationally and became a cult hit with its with its honest depiction of the new South Africa. It went on to win awards the Toronto Film Festival, American Film Institute Festival, Sydney Film Festival, Melbourne Film Festival and was also invited to the Rotterdam Film Festival. It was also the opening film at our very own Cape Town International Film Festival ( Sithengi ) where Kagiso’s inspired performance saw him being awarded with the “Best Actor Award” beating off competition from some accomplished and revered actors from all over the world. Such was the impact of the film that MTV Films Europe put pen to paper to be the global marketing partner of the film. He was also cast in various roles in local movies such as Crazy Monkey, Footskating, Big Fellas – as well as international movies like acclaimed Hollywood director Phillip Noyce’s Max & Martha where Kagiso acted alongside Oscar award winning actress Hilary Swank. He also had a cameo in Hollywood blockbuster – District 9.
2012 also saw Kagiso produce his second feature film – a buddy cop movie called Blitz Patrollie featuring a line up of some of South Africa’s most celebrated comedians. With all star cast that includes David Kau, Joey Rasdien, Chris Forrest, David Kibuuka, Mel Miller, Tats Nkonzo, Tol A$$ Mo, Roni Modilmola – its sure to be a box office hit when it gets released in June 2013. Although he was the Writer & Executive Producer, Kagiso also plays a hilarious character in the movie.
Another huge feather in Kagiso’s cap was his selection as one of the international judges for the Emmy Awards, a massive accomplishment and endorsement of his growing stature as a talented producer worldwide.
In 2013, Kagiso Lediga is recognized as one of the country’s headlining comedy and screen acts. If there was a SA Comedy Hall of Fame - it is his achievements thus far that would entrench his position there.
Kagiso Lediga
