Five US stars who visited South Africa, aka the ‘motherland’, in 2022

27 December 2022 - 14:00
subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now
Kehlani said she was embracing her South African name
Kehlani said she was embracing her South African name
Image: Instagram / Kehlani

The year 2022 saw a few American stars come to South Africa for work and paly.

Here are some who enjoyed Mzansi so much that they have called it their second home and said they hope to return soon.

Kehlani

Platinum-selling Grammy award-nominated singer and dancer Kehlani headlined the Rocking The Daisies festival as it made its return after a long hiatus due to Covid-19 regulations.

This was Kehlani's first performance in Africa, and she delivered.

Renowned artists, local and international, graced the stages in Cape Town and Johannesburg for the three-day festival, including Blxckie, Nasty C, A-Reece, IAMDDB, BAS, Saba and Buddy.

Kelly Rowland

US star Kelly and Brutal Fruit Spritzer kept their promise when they said the star would be back in Mzansi for the YOU Belong campaign party where women would have a chance to sit down with the star and have a conversation. 

“It was a really beautiful way to authentically connect with the women of South Africa, to be able to have this shared space. It's the vibration here that I feel very much connected to and grateful for. I talk about it everywhere I go that South Africa is my second home,” she told TshisaLIVE.

Craig David 

The British singer and songwriter was in the country to perform for one night only in Cape Town on December 8.

During a sit down, Katlego sang Craig's hit song Rise and Fall, which scored a nod from the singer.

“Brother your tone is so smooth. I love it. Your voice is beautiful,” Craig said.

Katlego spoke of how he was a fan of the singer.

“There’s a 14-year-old Katlego who is doing backflips and ululating right now because seeing you in real life and meeting you is such an amazing moment for me. I’ve been a fan of your music all these years,” he said.

Idris Elba

The British actor and film producer visited South Africa to shoot his film Beast.

Speaking to seasoned broadcaster Anele Mdoda on 947, the actor said they found the location of the adventure thriller to be of significance to the movie.

 “It was important for us to take the film to where this actually happens, so people could understand the logistics of what's going on. How isolating it is for not just this family, but for a rogue lion to be split from its pride, just get a sense of geographically what that means. The lion finds itself close to a small village [as] easy prey and it has [a] sort of revenge on its mind. That's why it was important to come to SA and scout locations.”

Tom Cruise

The US movie star was seen in Mzansi again after his many previous visits to South Africa, time time to shoot his latest Mission Impossible movie.

The star was spotted at Killarney Country Club in Johannesburg, and several images of staff and the actor were posted on social media. 

Tom has played the lead in the Mission Impossible films since the first movie 28 years ago. He first made headlines when he was shooting his latest film in the series and was spotted in Oribi Gorge on the KwaZulu-Natal south coast and at Hoedspruit in Limpopo.



subscribe Just R20 for the first month. Support independent journalism by subscribing to our digital news package.
Subscribe now

Would you like to comment on this article?
Sign up (it's quick and free) or sign in now.

Speech Bubbles

Please read our Comment Policy before commenting.