Shoki Mokgapa
Shoki Mokgapa (17 August 1984 – 26 September 2018) was a South African actress. She was best known for her award-winning role as Rachel in the film "Sink". Early life. Mokgapa was born in Johannesburg. She had a brother Tshepiso and a stepsister Ntsako Mokadikwa. She spent her early childhood in Soweto before her family moved to Johannesburg's northern suburbs. Fluent in English and SeSotho, Mokgapa attended Michael Mount Waldorf School and took A Levels at the British International College. She pursued a Bachelor of Communications before going on to train at the Johannesburg campus of AFDA , graduating with a Bachelor of Arts in Performing Arts. Career. In 2008, Mokgapa made her television debut in the second season of the SABC3 drama series "The Lab". In the series, she played the role of Tumi, the Pearl Lusipho's personal assistant, for three seasons. Mokgapa was "instrumental" in helping to co-found the POPArt Theatre at the Maboneng Precinct, which opened its doors in 2011. On British television, Mokgapa appeared in the ITV series "Wild at Heart" in 2008 and then in the BBC drama "Silent Witness" in 2010. Meanwhile, she appeared in Hollywood films such as "Retribution  (2011) and Dredd" (2012). In 2013, she appeared in the second season of the SABC1 drama "Intersexions" as Gadima. That same year, she made a minor role in the biographical film "". In 2015, she gained prominence through her role as Disebo in the second season of the e.tv soap opera "Ashes to Ashes". In 2016, she appeared in the Sri Lankan feature film "A Love Like This" directed by Chandran Rutnam which was shot in the Seychelles. In 2017, Mokgapa played Rachel Nyaga in the Afrikaans-language film "Sink". For her performance, she won Best Actress in a Feature Film  category at the 11th Annual South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs). Then in 2018, she won the Best Actress Award at the kykNET Silwerskermfees Festival for the same role, becoming the first non-Afrikaans speaking actress to win the award. In mid 2018, she appeared in the Amazon Prime Video miniseries "The Looming Tower". She made her final film appearance in Jahmil X.T. Qubeka's "Sew the Winter to My Skin", South Africa's 2019 submission in the Oscars' foreign film category. Death. Mokgapa suffered from clinical depression and anxiety for a long time. She committed suicide on 25  September 2018 in Johannesburg at the age of 34. A memorial event was held on 2 October 2018 at the Market Theatre.