Lerato, Jerry Mofokeng wa Makhetha to play father and son on 'Isibopho'

11 July 2022 - 08:00 By Constance Gaanakgomo
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Lerato Makhetha is chuffed to be starring alongside his dad.
Lerato Makhetha is chuffed to be starring alongside his dad.
Image: Instagram/ Lerato Makhetha

It's a dream come true for Lerato Makhetha, actor and son of legendary thespian Jerry Mofokeng wa Makhetha, to finally make his father proud after many attempts.

The actor took to his Instagram timeline recently to write a lengthy appreciation post for what he feels is a moment were he can confidently say his father is impressed and happy with his choice to follow in his footsteps. 

The pair will be staring in a new drama series, Isibopho, starting on Sunday on Mzansi Wethu.

Makhetha went into a step-by-step journey on how he arrived at the present moment with his dad. He said it wasn't until his role as Ntando on Isidingo that his dad took notice that he was chasing his dreams as an actor.

“Fast-forward a couple of years. I got a role on Isidingo ... My father’s response was emotional and I knew that he was really proud of me. Fast-forward another couple of years and I knew I’d earned his respect when he cast me as an actor in one of his theatre productions he was directing. Now was my chance to really impress him.

“On the last day of the show we hugged on stage. It was emotional, but I wasn’t so sure he was impressed as much as I knew how proud he was. So ... I audition for this role right ... I get cast. Then my old man gets cast in the same production, playing my old man. He was proud and I’m bloody impressed.”

Speaking to TshisaLIVE after bagging the character on SABC's now canned Isidingo, the star said Jerry at first didn't encourage him to be an actor and thought it was a phase he was going through. Instead, Jerry wanted him to focus on his music career and not get distracted.

“It was good for me because I am stubborn. It was necessary for me to keep pushing because if I he had just been like OK and spoke to people to open doors for me, I would probably not have been so hungry to succeed. I am grateful for him.”


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