Palesa Molefe

MLA CALL FOR CAST 'TOP 13'2024

Palesa Molefe was born an only child in Mochudi, Botswana, and raised in various parts of her home country. She currently resides in Cape Town, South Africa.

In 2016, she was awarded the 'Best Actress Award' for her performance in a high school play, Precious Life, during national competitions; judges were live performance professionals from around the country. Palesa successfully took on her first self-funded short film project, LACUNA (2017), at 18. Although a passion project, this step to produce, write and perform in her short film was an admirable attempt to show her deep appreciation for the craft. In 2020, she went on to lead in +267, a short drama film about a female assassin seeking vengeance. Other early projects include a role as Detective Neo (Lead) in The Star (2020), a series that follows a rookie cop trying to solve her friend’s murder.

Palesa has gone on to appear as Mmapula (Lead) in the theatre production PULA! The Musical (2023) is a story that follows the journey of a rainmaker's daughter (Palesa), who has suddenly been given the responsibility to become the rainmaker and has to bring rain to her village during a drought. One reviewer commented: “Palesa’s commitment to the character was beautiful to watch". Her most recent recognition is her nomination (2024) for ‘Best Lead in a Musical’ in PULA! The Musical, at The State Theatre, Pretoria.