Lesego Marakalla (born 16 May 1993) is an award-winning South African actress. She is best known for her role as Rachel Kunutu on the SABC1 soap opera Skeem Saam.
Lesego won the 2018 Royalty Soapie Award for Outstanding Female Villain.
Personal Details
Name:
Lesego Marakalla
Born:
16 May 1993 (age 33 years old)
Place of birth”
Mpumalanga, South Africa
Nationality:
South African
Education:
Monis Arts House
Occupation:
Actress
Years active:
2011-date
Known for:
Skeem Saam
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Early Life
Lesego Marakalla was born on 16 May 1993 in Mpumalanga, South Africa. She was raised by a single mother and had always wanted to be a doctor. Her family taught her to respect elders, and she was a very quiet child.
Education
Marakalla attended Motswedi Primary School in Seabe, Mpumalanga. She attended Monis Arts House in Pretoria after Grade 12. She fell in love with acting when she started participating in drama and other extracurricular activities at school.
Career
Lesego burst onto the acting scene in 2011. She started playing Rachel Kunutu on the SABC1 youth drama and soap opera Skeem Saam.
She won the Outstanding Female Villain award at the 2018 Royalty Soapie Awards for playing Rachel Kunutu. She was also nominated for the Favourite Actress award at the 2018 DStv Mzansi Viewers’ Choice Awards.
In 2020, Lesego left Skeem Saam to further her studies after 8 years on the cast. She joined the soap opera Generations as Thuso in 2022. She returned to Skeem Saam as Rachel Kunutu in 2025.
Imanuweli Mzingeli joined Eyaziwa in 2026. He holds a degree in Political Science from a prestigious university. Outside of his storytelling work, he enjoys reading and video games.
