Thato Dithebe, also known as President Thato, is a 22-year-old South African actor and presenter hailing from Krugersdorp. He’s recognized for his previous role as a YoTV presenter and for portraying Neo on e.tv’s House of Zwide. Recently, Thato opened up about his journey in the entertainment industry and his latest venture, a lead role on the new Mzansi Magic show, Kokota.

Describing himself as a child of God, Thato acknowledges his family’s significant influence in his life. He is the son of Lerato Dithebe, the brother of Tebogo Mugunyani, and an uncle to two lovely nieces. His family holds a special place in his heart, serving as his primary source of inspiration. He attributes his entry into the entertainment industry to his mother and sister, who recognized his energetic and creative nature from a young age. And their encouragement led him to pursue a career in presenting.

He started in the industry when he was about eight years old after winning the Maggie 2-Minute Noodles YoTV Presenter Search. He states that his mom and sister were like he was always running around the house and making noise, so he might as well invest that energy into something, and that is how Thato Dithebe became a presenter. “I am grateful to be in this space, and I am having an amazing time”, he says. But with acting, it was slightly different because his mom was able to get in contact with Sam Leburu, and Leburu asked for a monologue from Thato. Thato did his research, submitted a monologue and decided to give acting a shot. “Acting was more like if it happens, it happens, but as soon as I got to experience it, I fell in love with the craft”, he says. He speaks about how much work he puts in when preparing for a role. 

He states that for him, the prep starts even before the audition. He explains how he works with his acting coach, Camilla Waldman, the minute he gets a character brief for an audition. “What we tend to do is sit down with the brief, then we study the character to know the character’s traits”, he says. He explains that they go through a process where they build a human being from the character brief, and when they are done, Thato walks away and starts figuring out the soul of the human being he created with his acting coach. “I ask myself why the character does the things they do, why they say the things they say and all those kinds of details”, he explains. He says that by asking himself those questions, he can remember that the character he is trying to embody is a human being. Therefore, he is telling another human being’s story through acting, so he needs to know this human to represent them and portray them accurately. “No human being just wakes up and says things randomly. There’s always a thought process behind that, there’s always a feeling behind that, and that is what I need to figure out”, he says. Preparing for a role and being on set is a lot of work. After all that work, one needs to wind down and relax. 

In contrast to the energy he puts into his work during the day, Thato’s way of winding down after a long day is quite simple. He goes home and sleeps right after drinking a tall glass of Coke. “Coca-Cola just tends to calm the system down. So ngiphuza i-Coke, ngilale once” (I drink Coke then go to sleep), he says playfully. However, Thato most likely finds it easy to wind down and relax because of the kind of support system he has. 

“I’m really grateful because I know I am surrounded by people who constantly want the best for me”, he says. He explains that that means a lot to him and helps him be the best version of President Thato for himself and the people around him, “When I’m at my best, not only am I my best for me, but I’m also my best for them as well.” He states that his fantastic support system includes his family, his friends, the crew he works with, and everyone around him. “I’ve been really blessed to be surrounded by people who genuinely want the best for me”, he says. With the kind of support system Thato has, he is always ready to tackle every challenge that comes his way. 

The biggest challenge Thato has encountered as a creative being in the entertainment space is battling Imposter Syndrome. He explains that it mostly came from the fact that he has been a presenter most of his life and then he started moving into the acting space and the first thing he noticed was that actors are very protective of their art. At first, he was taken aback by that, but he quickly came to realize why they are so protective. “Now I know that actors are protective of their art because they know the amount of work they put in their craft and the amount of respect they have for their craft”, he says. Thato, entering the acting space made him wonder if he was doing everything correctly because he didn’t want to seem like he was disrespecting the craft. “It took time for me to understand that I am an actor now, so I learned what the craft is, what respecting the craft is, and what that looks like. After some time, I was able to overcome this feeling of imposter syndrome within myself,” he says. Having overcome one of his biggest challenges, Thato also needs to keep himself motivated as well. 

Thato states how much he hates losing. “One thing I know about myself is that I hate losing ka pelo yaka yotlhe” (I hate losing with my whole heart), he states. And that, on its own, is one thing that keeps him motivated because he constantly wants to evolve and grow. He states that the second thing that keeps him motivated is understanding and acknowledging that every opportunity he has is not his own doing but because of God’s grace and mercy. He explains that he feels an obligation to God to give glory to Him constantly, and the best way he knows how to glorify God is by doing his best with the opportunities God has granted him. “I’m trying not to throw all these blessings back into God’s face, so I show Him I am grateful. And I think the best way to do that is by going hard with the things He gives me”, he says. And one of the biggest blessings God has given Thato is one of his biggest career highlights so far. 

“Thus far, the biggest highlight of my career is landing a lead role on a whole TV drama, on a prime-time slot, on Mzansi Magic”, he says excitedly. He states that it’s beyond amazing for him because he just started in the acting space and is already landing lead roles. “At 22, a leading man? That has to be the biggest highlight for me so far”, he says. He continues to talk about how he landed the role, how he felt and more about his character, Tshepang Phiri. 

He explains how he landed the role. He states that his agent sent him the character brief earlier in the year. He prepped, shot his self-tape and sent his audition in. “I remember how excited I was after reading the character brief. I was just like, here’s this guy, Tshepang Phiri, a musical genius, an Amapiano musical genius, and Amapiano is our sound”, he explains. He shared that he felt excited about the character he was auditioning for. “I felt like I was going to play Kabza de Small in a biopic or something,” he says with light laughter. Another exciting aspect for him was that the story was centred around young people and music, and he loves music. Two months later, while hanging out with a close friend, Thato got a call from his agent congratulating him for landing the role of Tshepang Phiri, the lead role. After the excitement died down, Thato got a bit anxious because it had finally sunk in that he was the lead, but he was still excited. “The experience of finding out and shooting was exhilarating but also nerve-wracking because the show was taking the slot that Shaka Ilembe previously occupied, and that was a huge production,” he says. Nonetheless, Thato enjoyed the entire experience and was grateful for the opportunity. He enthusiastically speaks about playing Tshepang Phiri. 

One thing he profoundly resonates with when it comes to Tshepang, his character, is Tshepang’s love for the people around him. “Tshepang deeply loves his family and the people around him. He cares about the people in his life and I, as Thato, really resonate with that”, he says. 

However, there is a difference between Thato, the actor and Tshepang, the character. Thato immediately states how he would never leave his home as his character Tshepang did. “Mhmmmm, me? I would never, ever leave home. Angeke. If they ever say they’re kicking me out, I’d be like, no way, I’ll sleep on the porch it’s fine. I’m not going anywhere,” Thato says adamantly while laughing and shaking his head. On a more serious note, he continues to explain that the difference between Thato and Tshepang is that Tshepang is brave, to the point that he is willing to risk everything to go after his dream. “I think that for the longest time in my life, I’ve been more conservative. Like yes, let’s push entertainment, but let’s also get a degree. It’s almost like I needed a safety net, but Tshepang believes so strongly in his talent he is willing to risk it all, and I admire that. It’s definitely a difference between us, but hopefully, one day, it’ll be a similarity,” Thato says. 

Thato’s continuous growth in the industry is inspiring and beautiful to watch. For anyone who would like to follow in Thato’s footsteps, he states that the most important thing to do is to be yourself. “I think one thing we need to realize is that we all have a superpower and talent. He says to focus on yourself, determine your strengths and weaknesses, and surround yourself with people who want the best for you. “Secondly, do your research, get a really good agent and give your all with every opportunity you’re given.” 

Thato still has a lot of space and time to grow in the industry, and he still wants to do a lot more in the space. “I can’t speak on much, but dope things are coming up”, he says in a playfully mysterious tone. 
We are excited to see what Thato has in store for us. Watch Kokota every Sunday evening at 20H00  on Mzansi Magic.