Bio
Zolisa Xaluva is a South African actor best known for his roles as Jason on the SABC1 soapie Generations (2005-2006), and as Lwazi Mboweni on the fourth season of the SABC1 drama series Tsha Tsha, in 2006.
Born into a middle class family in New Brighton, Port Elizabeth, Xaluva moved to Johannesburg with his family when he was 11. The family later moved to Pretoria to be with extended family.
His parents are Thando and Nombuyiselo Xaluva and he is the third of four children.
Education
Although he moved back to Port Elizabeth for a few years, Xaluva matriculated in Pretoria. For a few years after matric he majored in Media Studies and Communication Science at Wits Technikon.
He dropped out of the course with one year to go, due to financial difficulties.
To make ends meet he tried to establish a campus radio station for Wits Technikon but he was turned down as he was no longer a student there.
So he went back to Port Elizabeth where he joined an arts and culture group which toured schools, performing plays for schoolchildren.
He later returned to Pretoria and studied drama at Pretoria Tech, graduating in 2003.
Career
After leaving Pretoria Tech he struggled to find acting work, so enrolled in a drama class and got an agent at the same time. Within six months he had landed his first television role - the minor role of Lwazi on the third season of the SABC1 drama series Tsha Tsha, in 2004/5.
After another period of unemployment Xaluva landed the role of Jason – a creative genius in the world of advertising - on South Africa's most-watched television show, the SABC1 soapie Generations, in late 2005.
Intially hired for a six-episode run, his character proved popular and his contract was extended first to three months, then to a year.
He ended up spending 19 months on the show, during which time his character developed a relationship with his colleague Cleo Khuzwayo, which ended when she accused him of raping her.
He was given time off from Generations in early 2006 to shoot the fourth season of Tsha Tsha. His character in Tsha Tsha - Lwazi Mboweni - became a leading character in Season 4, providing Xaluva with his first leading role in television.
The fourth season of Tsha Tsha was broadcast from 5 May to 27 October, 2006.
After returning to Generations when filming of Tsha Tsha 4 ended, Xaluva learned that Cleo (played by Linda Sokhulu) was leaving the show, and he decided to follow suit.
"My character revolves around Cleo and without her what would be my role? The story ended right there and then", he told Dispatch at the time.
He filmed his last episode of Generations in October 2006, which was broadcast in January 2007.
Xaluva resurfaced on television in 2008 in the e.tv soapie Rhythm City, playing the manager of Hip Hop MC HHP, who was playing himself in an 11-episode story arc.
He plays the role of Khutso, a friend of the title character, in the SABC1 mini-series uGugu no Andile (Gugu and Andile), from June to July, 2008.
The series is a contemporary re-telling of the classic Shakespeare play Romeo and Juliet and forms part of SABC1's "Shakespeare in Mzansi" collection.
Xaluva currently resides in Johannesburg.