John Ledwaba

John Maolusi Ledwaba (19**-2017). Actor, director, playwright.

Biography

He grew up in Diepkloof, near the mine compound.

He acted in his first play at 15. As Soweto schoolboy in 1976 he tried unsuccessfully to escape into exile.

In 1984, Ledwaba gave up theatre and left his Soweto home to train to be an anti-apartheid guerrilla. But he soon stopped training to lead the fight through theatre, staging powerful works that exposed the horrors of racist rule to the world.

He died in December 2017.

Training

Career

Contribution to SA theatre, film, media and/or performance

The Horn, IsiThukuthuku.

As actor

He worked for Soyikwa Theatre and helped to workshop and performed in Matsemela Manaka’s Egoli: City of Gold (1979), for which he developed the famous vomiting scene. Also developed and played the political leader in Simon & Co’s Black Dog-Inj'emnyama! (1984) .

He performed at the Edinburgh Festival in the one-hander Vuka (1982), in Black Dog-Inj'emnyama! and in the Mamu Players' Township Fever and Street Sisters.

Peter Se-Puma’s Hamba Dompas was directed by Nomsa Nene with the author and Ledwaba at the Laager in January 1986.

He played "Sphiso" in the movie Shot Down (1987).

As playwright

Wrote the play Lona Basadi (1983), Black Dog-Inj'emnyama! (1983) with Barney Simon, in association with the Market Theatre, Township Boy (1987) - with Christo Leach and Mamu Players, in association with the Market Theatre. Also wrote Street Sisters.

His play Moja Moja was performed at the 1995 Grahamstown Festival.

He wrote, directed, choreographed and composed Jozi Jozi Guide which was staged at the Windybrow in 1993.

Wrote and performed International Hot Talk ’87 (a political satire) with Andrew Chabeli at Funda Arts Centre.

In 2002 his play Jouberg in the Mix was one of ten chosen and funded for further development by the NAC.

He wrote the musical Shosholoza (2008).

He wrote the play My Hole My Home (2017), produced posthumously at the Barney Simon Theatre in 2018.

As arts administrator

He was appointed artistic director of the Windybrow Theatre in 2004. He was at the helm of the 21st edition of the Windybrow Arts Festival which also celebrated SA's 10 years of democracy, 2004.