Zenobia Kloppers is a Namibian–South African actress, singer and voice artist who works across film, television, theatre and radio.
She is known for her performance as Fiela Komoetie in Fiela se Kind (2019), for which she received Best Actress nominations at the South African Film and Television Awards and the Silwerskerm Film Festival, and was also nominated for Best Actress at the Africa Movie Academy Awards.
In 2025, she appeared as Amico Nagoyin in the third season of the Prime Video fantasy series The Wheel of Time, a role described in South African and Namibian press as marking her global television debut.
Early life and education Kloppers was born in Windhoek, Namibia, and grew up in Khomasdal. The Namibian profiled her in 2019 as coming from a well-known Khomasdal family and reported that she attended Gammams Primary School, Holy Cross Convent and later St Paul's College.
Her early artistic development included classical voice training, and she studied singing in South Africa before pursuing formal training at tertiary level. She trained in acting and music in South Africa at the University of Cape Town Drama School and Music College and the Stellenbosch University Conservatory. ESAT records that she obtained a Performer’s Licentiate in Music (Opera and Lieder) and also holds a Bachelor of Social Sciences (BSocSci) degree.
Career
Early career: music and theatre Kloppers began her professional career in theatre and music. Her early career spanned opera, musical theatre, cabaret and educational theatre. She performed in opera productions including Die Zauberflöte, Il matrimonio segreto, Hänsel und Gretel, and The Impresario, alongside a range of stage and music theatre productions.
Her musical theatre work includes productions such as Antjie Somers, Oos Wes Tuis Bes, Ghoema, and Spice Drum Beat: Ghoema. In Ghoema, a production by David Kramer and Taliep Petersen exploring Cape Town’s musical heritage, she performed as Dina at the Baxter Theatre in Cape Town. ESAT records that the production later ran internationally under the title Spice Drum Beat: Ghoema, including a London run at the Tricycle Theatre.
For her work in Ghoema, she was nominated for a Naledi Theatre Award in the category Best Performance in a Musical (Female).
Her cabaret work includes productions such as Iets Jazzy & Iets Kabbaretterig, Love for Sale / Love for Soul, Scrawl, Where Corals Lie, Woman in Love, Black & Blue, Broadway Babies, and Kaapse Kabaret.
She also portrayed female leads in productions engaging with South African and Namibian history, heritage and identity, including Sarah, Shirley, Goodness and Mercy, and stage adaptations of Fiela se Kind. Her debut play, Klarabelle gaan Kaap toe (2002), explored questions of ancestry, heritage and coloured identity. According to ESAT, it premiered at Artscape in Cape Town in 2002 and was later staged at the KKNK, Aardklop and the Baxter Studio.
In addition to stage work, Kloppers built a substantial presence in radio drama. She performed in productions for Radio Sonder Grense (RSG), including the title role in Die Swerfjare van Poppie Nongena, an adaptation of Elsa Joubert’s novel. In a review of the production, Robyn Sassen wrote that "there is a magnificence in Kloppers’ interpretation" of the lead character and described the radio rendition as "devastatingly fine".
Breakthrough with Fiela se Kind Kloppers gained wider recognition for her portrayal of Fiela Komoetie in Brett Michael Innes's 2019 film adaptation of Fiela se Kind. The film screened internationally, including at the Tallinn Black Nights Film Festival, where Screen Daily described the film as bristling "with moral outrage" and singled out Kloppers' "dignified performance" as Fiela.
For the role, she received Best Actress nominations at the 2019 Silwerskerm Film Festival, the 2020 South African Film and Television Awards, and the 2020 Africa Movie Academy Awards.
Television and screen work Following Fiela se Kind, Kloppers appeared in South African and international television productions including Suidooster, Arendsvlei, Die Sentrum, Blood & Water, Dinge van 'n Kind, Spinners, Unseen, Recipes for Love and Murder, Die Nuusmakers and Die Kantoor, the South African Afrikaans adaptation of The Office. Her film credits include The Endless River, Noem My Skollie (Call Me Thief), Bhai's Café, Lucky Fish, Finding Optel, and Khaki Fever.
Breakout with The Wheel of Time In 2025, Kloppers appeared in the third season of Prime Video's global epic fantasy series The Wheel of Time as Amico Nagoyin. Coverage of the season premiere in Collider identified Amico as one of the Black Ajah sisters involved in the White Tower storyline.
Directing and other creative work In addition to acting, Kloppers also works as a director and screenwriter. In 2023, The Namibian reported on her move into directing with the short films Riel and Helmhart.
Riel screened at the 2023 Durban International Film Festival. The film later received an Africa Movie Academy Award nomination for Best Short Film and won Best Short Film at the South African Independent Film Festival. It also won the Prix du film court musical at the Pierre Cardin Festival in 2023.
Helmhart premiered at the Silwerskerm Film Festival, which described it as the festival's "first-ever ghost story and Gothic romance".
Kloppers also served as associate director on Sara Baartman – the Opera (2022), directed by Janice Honeyman and presented at the Baxter Theatre Centre.
Selected filmography
Film Year Title Role Notes 2026 180 Grace 2026 Hive Frances 2025 Lucky Fish Sheila Reddy 2025 Finding Optel Aunty Doreen 2025 Khaki Fever Daniel's mother Voice role 2022 Liz Virrie Lewe Tristana Television film 2022 Woke Dr Newman Television film 2019 Fiela se Kind Fiela Komoetie 2019 Bhai's Café Mrs Arendse 2015 Noem My Skollie (Call Me Thief) Smokkie Diva Uncredited 2015 The Endless River Teller
Television Year Title Role Notes 2026 Die Kantoor Veronica 1 episode 2025 The Wheel of Time Amico Nagoyin 3 episodes, season 3 2025 Die Nuusmakers Sakina Solomons 2 episodes 2025 Recipes for Love and Murder Mrs Jackson 1 episode 2025 Unseen Florrie 1 episode 2024 The Morning After Aunt Sara 1 episode 2023 Spinners Samantha 8 episodes 2022 Dinge van 'n Kind Rachel 6 episodes 2019–2021 Arendsvlei Emily 17 episodes 2021 Die Sentrum Lucinda Jackson 8 episodes 2021 Blood & Water Denise Dzana 1 episode 2019–2021 Suidooster Rebecca Thuli 29 episodes 2020 Sara se Geheim Tristana 2 episodes 2020 Projek Dina Margie 1 episode 2014 Amaza Fatima Ibrahim 9 episodes 2013 Thomas@ Joey 1 episode
Writing and directing Year Title Role Notes 2023 Riel Co-writer, director Premiered at Durban International Film Festival 2023 Helmhart Co-writer, director Premiered at Silwerskerm Film Festival 2022 Sara Baartman – the Opera Associate director Baxter Theatre Centre
Awards and nominations Naledi Theatre Awards – Nominee, Best Performance in a Musical (Female), Ghoema Silwerskerm Film Festival – Nominee, Best Actress, Fiela se Kind South African Film and Television Awards – Nominee, Best Actress – Feature Film, Fiela se Kind Africa Movie Academy Awards – Nominee, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Fiela se Kind South African Independent Film Festival – Winner, Best Short Film, Riel Africa Movie Academy Awards – Nominee, Best Short Film, Riel
References
External links Official website Zenobia Kloppers at IMDb Zenobia Kloppers at Oh Talent Zenobia Kloppers at TVSA