Malik Yoba talks Kings of Joburg, his first African film experience, and more

Picture of Lineo Lesemane

By Lineo Lesemane

Lifestyle Journalist


Malik Yoba stars as Isador in the hit series Kings of Joburg.


Veteran American actor Malik Yoba opened up about joining the third season of Kings of Joburg and filming in Africa for the first time.

Yoba is popularly known for his roles in Hollywood films like Why Did I Get Married, Cool Runnings, and the TV series New York Undercover just to mention a few.

He portrays the character Isador in Kings of Joburg.

Speaking to The Citizen, Yoba said he was thrilled to finally be part of a South African production.

“It’s exciting to be part of not only the series but also my first-ever time shooting anything in Africa. That was really important to me,” he said.

Discussing how he landed the role, Yoba explained that it came through relationships.

“This is not a traditional thing. It’s not something that came through Hollywood. This came through relationships. And to be here and part of this is great.”

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‘Kings of Joburg’ raising the bar for African storytelling

Yoba said he believes Kings of Joburg is helping to reshape global perceptions of African storytelling.

“It’s on par with anything else I’ve shot or seen from an international production, and that’s exciting from an international perspective.

“I have a lot of friends in the States and in many places who love the show. So it’s definitely doing what it’s supposed to do.”

He added that he was impressed from the moment he began watching the first season.

“Just looking at the graphics, I thought, ‘Okay, South Africa representing.’ Then I started watching and thought the quality of storytelling was definitely a level above what I expected.”

The third season of Kings of Joburg premiered on Friday, 13 June, picking up where the second season left off.

The new season sees the Masire family maintain their grip on Johannesburg’s criminal underworld — but a deadly curse and rising betrayals threaten their empire.

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