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Masemola chastised friends of Chweneyagae who weren't honest with the late actor about his responsibilities as a family man.
Actors Warren Masemola and Presley Chweneyagae. The former reflected on his relationship with Presley Chweneyagae. Picture: Presley Oageng Chweneyagae/Facebook
Speaking at the funeral of late actor Presley Chweneyagae, his friend and fellow actor Warren Masemola chastised South Africa’s drinking culture, insinuating Chweneyagae struggled with alcohol abuse.
“My friend and I fought a lot. Presley and I fought a lot,” said Masemola with a handkerchief in hand, wiping away tears as he spoke.
Chweneyagae was laid to rest in Pretoria on Saturday following his death two weeks ago at the age of 40. The funeral service was held at Akasia Community Hall with the burial at Zandfontein Cemetery.
Two memorial services for Chweneyagae preceded the funeral; the first took place in his hometown of Mahikeng, North West, on Tuesday, and a second one was held at the South African State Theatre in Pretoria on Thursday.
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Chweneyagae’s bad friends
Masemola chastised certain friends that Chweneyagae would hang around with, who didn’t tell the late actor the truth about being a responsible family man.
“Alcohol is nice, but if you love someone, you owe it to yourself to talk to the one you love and say ‘please may we just call it [a night]. You have children at home. Go home, your family needs you’.”
“We can’t start our day at seven in the morning by consuming alcohol and then you get home at five in the morning,-that’s 22 hours of being on the street drinking alcohol,” said the Skeem Saam actor to applause and cheers.
Masemola said and Chweneyagae fought over their love for each other, as well as over work, being professional, and their children.
He said on one occasion he had to drive from Joburg to Pretoria because Chweneyagae had been a ‘nuisance’.
“And I had to pick him up, he dodged me, I went to where I found him at Stasie Kombuis,” he said, as the room burst into laughter.
But with a sharp reprimand of the laughter in the room, Masemola told people not to laugh about the mention of Stasie Kombuis, a hangout spot in Pretoria North.
“His friends from Stasie Kombuis, have civic order, teach your children to have civic order, teach your wives civic order…take accountability/responsibility and civic order in your lives.”
“I don’t understand people who don’t fight with their friends or the people they claim they love. I just don’t understand it; if you say you love somebody, love them fully and be there for them at every hour of their life.”
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SA drinking culture
In his closing remarks, Masemola referenced comments made by broadcaster Penny Lebyane on a podcast about how systematic alcohol is placed in society, particularly in black communities, to destroy black lives.
Lebyane mentioned how during apartheid, black men were trapped in alcohol addiction because of the ubiquity of beer halls, which prevented the men from arriving home with their full salary or wages, which led to fights with their spouses.
If people knew how much I HATE ALCOHOL!!! Shoutout to @PennyLebyane for this piece… very sober 👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽👏🏽
— Penuel The Black Pen (@GodPenuel) May 6, 2025
Alcohol is the most dangerous drug on earth, that has caused the most harm, yet people celebrate it… tragic 💔 pic.twitter.com/bJPvFH4qdk
She said women are now the target market for big alcohol brands. “The influencers that are selling alcohol now, are women, “said Masemola.
“Now the mother and the father are both drinking alcohol, what will be of our kids, if alcohol is seen as a high class. These are the things Presley and I used to fight about” he said.
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