From a village to your timeline
Maleto Ntloge grew up in Ga-Sekororo, Trichardtsdal — deep in rural Limpopo. By day, an ordinary working man. By night and weekend, the comedian and storyteller the whole country now knows as Papa Mpenyane.
It started with a mkhukhu, a phone and a feeling that the village had stories worth telling. The skits were honest, local and funny — and people felt it. The “running hug” moment took off and never really stopped, and the audience grew from a few neighbours to hundreds of thousands.
Today Maleto is a published novelist, a SABC News feature, and a working creative who films, writes and performs under the #CreativeNtlogeFilms banner. The voice is rooted in Sepedi and the lowveld, but the laugh travels everywhere.
The mission hasn't changed: tell real South African stories, make people laugh, and lift the village up while doing it. Re a leboga — thank you — to everyone who has watched, shared and shown up.
- ★Comedian of the Year — Limpopo Fashion & Creatives Awards, 2025
- ▶Featured on SABC News — recognised as a rising rural creator
- ✎Published author — released his own novel
- ♥The “running hug” — his signature viral format, loved nationwide
- ⌂Champion of home — proudly representing Ga-Sekororo & Limpopo
