He has often been described as a comedian who breaks down boundaries, builds bridges, challenges prejudices and inverts stereotypes but Roni Modimola will probably just tell you that’s how he performs his comedy and is not running for the Presidency!
Born in Soweto in the infamous year of 1976 – Roni has matured as comedian since he started performing professionally in 1998 to a level where he now consistently displays his understanding of the complex art of stand up. His quiet charm and his in your face poking of fun at former holy cows and current ones, touches the funny bones of a variety of audiences, locally and internationally…..at last a stand up comic who can cross cultural borders. His loud staccato chuckle is infectious, yielding shouts of laughter wherever he performs. His shows are 'blessed' with philosophical musings / clever word play and he employs subtle characterizations as well as witty dialogue leaving crowds whooping for more and rolling in the aisles.
At the age of 10, Roni became weary of snorkeling teargas. It was his craving for a whiff of fresh air that resulted in a move to the then Northern Province. Roni came back to Joburg in 1993 determined to become a film maker specializing in comedy. He became a student of the arts at Afda Film School but only flirted with comedy when he spotted an ad in the paper inviting all comedians to perform at the Hysterix Comedy Club in Hatfield, Pretoria.
This first time on stage for Roni was memorable for all the wrong reasons, a complete disaster but the comedy bug had bitten and he never looked back. From those very humbling beginnings Roni grew from strength to strength, honing his craft and creating his unique brand of comedy along the way.
He has now graced stages of all shapes and sizes, performed to audiences of all races and backgrounds, venues of all capacities and dimensions and appeared in many a leading magazine and newspaper. Television appearances included the Phat Joe Show, the Felicia Mabuza Suttle Show (sorry she was big at the time) Ziwamo Life, Morning Live and the very popular Comedy Showcase. Roni has performed at numerous comedy clubs and festivals the major ones being the Smirnoff International Comedy Festival, the Winston Heavy Weight Comedy Jam, 5fm Heavyweight Comedy Jam, the Laughter Blaster, the Comedy Blackout and had the honour of being invited to perform at the South African Comedy Festival which was held in London, England (his first break out of the country at last!) and the Stand Up South Africa Festival in Harrismith, England. Thanks to his lauded comedy exploits, Roni has also performed in Zanzibar, Zambia and Botswana to rave reviews.
His list of corporate performances includes amongst other companies and institutions, gigs for the Department of Arts and Culture, the Department of Trade and Industry, the Mpumalanga Office of the Premier, The Eastern Cape Office of the Premier, Nokia, Ernst and Young, Microsoft SA, Black Empowerment Awards, African Bank, Pick n Pay, ACSA, South African Association of Public Administration and Management and many more, showing how diverse and adaptable his material really is.
Roni’s crowning moment came from performing on SABC 1’s cult sketch comedy series, the Pure Monate Show in 2003 and 2004 as a creative writer and actor. He was able to display his full array of comedic abilities to the millions of viewers who tuned into the show nationwide creating and playing some of the most popular characters on the show. In 2007, Roni Modimola has become a household name and enjoys performing all over the country as one of our most gifted comedians.
