Biography

Zola is known for Tsotsi (2005), District 9 (2009) and Gangster's Paradise: Jerusalema (2008).

Actor, TV host, singer

Stage name, Zola, means 'thug'. It is also the name of the impoverished area in which he grew up.

Zola was the most aggressive township. I saw some serious gangsters come out of my neighborhood. I saw blood on the street.

I took Zola as a stage name to make a point: I may come from Zola but I am a man apart.

How famous am I in South Africa? I'm more famous than the Cullinan Diamond! And I have no bodyguards. A top celebrity like me can walk into a party and of course I'll sign a few autographs, but there's no trouble. Everybody's happy you're there and wants to love you. Like your piece of bread in the morning, that's how close people feel to me.

If you rap about having 22-inch wheel rims and a mansion on the hill in South Africa, they'll probably laugh at you and throw cans at you.