Bio
Oros Mampofu is a South African actor best known for his role as Jama, Thabo Maputla's university roommate, on the SABC1 soap opera Skeem Saam, first appearing in Season 3. His character was killed off in the Season 4 finale, which aired on Friday 8 July, 2016.
He was born in Umtata in the Eastern Cape and grew up in the Fort Gale area. His moved to East London for school until Grade 9 before moving again to Cape Town, where he matriculated from Tableview High School. He has a twin brother called Mkhokheli Prince Mampofu and three sisters.
He made his acting debut in the SABC1 drama series Kowethu in 2014, shortly after graduating from AFDA with a degree in Motion Picture and Live Performance in Johannesburg.
Oros' breakout year was 2015, which he began by playing the role of Andile in the Mzansi Magic Original Movie Rise, directed by Rea Rangaka and starring Xolile Tshabalala and Mutodi Neshehe. The telemovie first aired on Mzansi Magic on Sunday 11 January, 2015.
By mid-year he was one of the 12 finalists on the first season of the BET reality competition series Top Actor SA, ending in sixth place; and had begun his recurring role as Jama on Skeem Saam, which at the time was the third most-watched show in South Africa.
In 2016 he landed his first starring role in television in the Mzansi Magic drama series Igazi, created and executive produced by Shona Ferguson. In the series he plays Prince Phila Mbangatha, the rightful heir to a royal throne whose modern philosphy is at odds with his traditional responsibilities.
Also in 2016, he starred in the feature-length film The Lucky Specials, produced by Discovery Learning Alliance and Quizzical Pictures which demystifies tuberculosis), explaining how it spreads and how it can be treated. In the film he stars as Mandla, a young man eager to make his mark on African music. Other cast members include Blondie Makhene, Sive Mabuya, Richard Lukunku, Thomas Gumede and Fulu Mugovhani.
In November 2016 he began starring in the third season of the SABC1 sitcom Gauteng Maboneng in the role of Mo, replacing Mpho Sibeko who played the role in Season 2.
The following year he had a major recurring role as Shona in the e.tv drama series Harvest, about three women who are forced to take over an illegal business when their husbands are murdered. He first appeared in the series premiere, which aired on 1 May, 2017.
In 2018, Oros landed the headline starring role in the 1Magic drama series Ingoma, about three aspiring artists from the Eastern Cape who are lured to Cape Town with the promise of breaking into the music industry.
In the series Oros plays Angel, one of the three artists. Angel is a charming, small-time hustler with his finger on the pulse. Sino's brother and Ezekiel's best friend, he is impulsive, impressionable and optimistic to a fault.
The following year he and his sister Lunathi Mampofu and brother Prince Mampofu were the featured guests on an episode of the Mzansi Magic culinary reality series Celeb Feasts with Zola, in which chef, food stylist and TV personality Zola Nene cooks up a variety of tasty, colourful dishes while entertaining her celebrity guests.
The siblings were featured in Season 1, Episode 4, which first aired on the channel on 29 January, 2019.
Later that year, Oros joined the e.tv soapie Rhythm City in the major recurring role of Banele, a rural Xhosa man whose family relies on social grants to sustain their daily lives.
Banele is fascinated by history, particularly African literature and it is this passion that sees his story unfolding after he secures a bursary to study at the Johannesburg Metropolitan University.
Oros first appeared in the role on Thursday 16 May, 2019.