Nay Maps (born March 30, 1989) is a 34-year-old South African actor, musician, model, presenter, and businessman best known for his role as Mxolise Mdletshe in Uzalo. Besides his excellent skills as an actor, Maps caught media attention for his impeccable fashion sense for which he receives constant praise on social media. He also owns a rapidly growing clothing label which is a testament to his affinity for fashion.Â
When the actor first came onto the entertainment scene with a role on the soap opera Isibaya, not many thought he was going to grow as big as he has in such a short time. Maps has since become part of the cast of the most-watched drama series, The Queen, breathing life into the character of Dingane. Below is a comprehensive look at the life of the actor and all the facets of his growing career.Â
Nay Maps Biography and Profile Summary
- Full Name: Nkosinathi Maphalala
- Nickname: Nay Maps
- Gender: Male
- Date of Birth: 30th of March 1989
- Age: 34 Years Old
- Ethnicity: Zulu
- Nay Maps Height: 6 ft 1 in (185 cm)
- Nationality: South African
- Zodiac Sign: Pisces
- Religion: Christianity
- Marital Status: Single
- Parents: Bishop Simeon Maphalala
- Famous For: Acting
- Nay Maps’ Instagram: @naymaps
- Twitter: @maps_maphalala
What Is Nay Maps’ Real Name?
Following his appearance in the world of entertainment, Nay Maps gained popularity very fast with fans and followers in hundreds of thousands. However, people have always asked about the actor’s given name at birth. A scrutiny of the records revealed that the fan-favorite actor was named Nkosinathi Maphalala at his birth which occurred on the 30th of March 1989.
The records captured the entertainer’s place of birth as a Pretoria, Gauteng in South Africa where he also spent a better part of his growing up years. According to the actor and musician, he has roots in Kwa Zulu-Natal and Gauteng. Growing up, Maps earned his early educational qualifications from Sunnyside Primary School. Following this, he proceeded to Lyttelton Manor High School for his matric.
The quest for further academic qualifications took Nay Maps to the University of Pretoria where he was admitted to study for a course in Information Technology – Programming. He graduated with a Bachelor’s degree after the completion of his studies. No other high academic qualification is recorded for the entertainer.
Who Are The 34 Year Old Actor’s Parents?
Though other members of his family are not the type that lives their lives in the public eye, some tidbits of information about them can be accessed from the records. It is common knowledge that Maps is the first child in his family and the only son. His father goes by the name Simeon Maphalala, and going by the records, he is a minister of the gospel and is neck-deep into Christian music. Nay’s mom is in the same vocation as his dad, but Simeon attained the exalted rank of a bishop in the church before his demise. Needless to say, Nay Maps’ talent for music came from both his parents, though he has never ventured into Gospel music.
From what is perceivable, Nay is very fond of his parents as evidenced by his social media posts. The Pretoria-born star is always sharing photos of his mum on social media and never misses to celebrate her on Mother’s Day. The actor usually refers to his mother as his queen, expressing profound gratitude for the woman’s sacrifice in raising her children. On one Human Rights Day, in South Africa, Maps shared an adorable snapshot where he was seen cooking a meal with his mum. Both mother and son were laughing in the picture as they were preparing some fruits, a testament to the great bond they share.
As earlier mentioned, the actor is not the only child of his parents. Nay Maps has two younger sisters: Thando and Wandi Maphalala whom he describes as gorgeous and very close to his heart. When his sister Thando was celebrating her 30th birthday, the actor took to his IG page to gush about Thando who he calls his real partner in crime.
According to him, Thando has always had his back from the word go and he recalled memories of them doing everything together from a tender age. They would play football, cricket, and many other games.
Describing Thando, Nay called her a protective sister who has been committed to him for life. Her given name Noluthando means Love and Pearl (Precious Beauty) and big brother thinks she epitomizes that. Maps also recalled how his sister who was born pre-term at six months defied all the odds to not only survive but become the very strong woman that she is today.
Maps’ name hit the airwaves in January 2021 when he lost both grandparents in quick successions. According to the reports, his grandpa first passed on and the following week, on the same day and time, Nay’s grandma also kicked the bucket.
Nay Maps Lost His Dad in 2020
Around July 2020, news broke that the South African actor had lost his dad. Phil Mphela, the SA entertainment commentator, was the one who let the public know about the minister’s demise through his Twitter handle. Bishop Simeon Maphalala was 59 years old at the time of his passing and was mourned by his family and church congregation. His cause of death was never made public.
The Bishop’s death hit Nay Maps very hard as the actor was very close to his father. Even a year after the Bishop’s passing, the celebrity actor still finds it difficult to cope without his dad. Taking to his social media page, Nay honored his late daddy, sharing photos of his funeral where the actor was seen looking rather sad. After a speech about the bishop’s burial in July 2020, Nay ended his post by reiterating how much he loves and misses his father.
Map’s Enjoys a Multifaceted Career
Nay Maps is one South African that enjoys a multi-faceted career. He has proved his competence in presenting and acting, and have been lauded by fans and critics. Maps is also adept at modeling, walking, and working for top brands and he is into music, but that is not all. The SA-born celeb has proved that he has a good business head on his shoulders and has gone ahead to establish a flourishing cloth line. Just like every other celeb of his ilk, the actor is also making waves on social media.
He worked as a Presenter On TV
For someone who majored in information technology in the university, Nay Maps totally deviated from his discipline to go try his hands on the performing arts. Besides, it is undeniable that the Pretoria native does have some innate artistic talent, and coupled with his passion for the arts, you don’t need a soothsayer to know he is destined to go far in the field.
Starting out as a presenter on television, Maps got his breakthrough when he was hired by channel ANN7 to anchor the show entitled Hashtag. After presenting the show for a while, he deemed himself ready to explore other fields in entertainment, and the rest as they say is history.
His Started Acting on the Set of Isibaya
Nay Maps’ knack for acting came to the fore at age 22 in 2014 after the South African entertainer became part of the second season of the popular soapie, Isibaya; there, he was featured in the guest-starring role of Tshepo. Discovering his acting talent led the youngster to go fully out canvassing for other roles and he seems to be doing wonderfully well, attaining giant strides in the world of showbiz.
His performance on the set of Isibaya did not go unnoticed as the Pretoria-born entertainer attracted the attention of the casting directors of South Africa’s juiciest drama series, Uzalo. This was when he was cast to depict the character of Mxolisi Mdletshe – a youngster who decided to distance himself from their family business. It was not an easy decision for Mxolisi but he just had to, having witnessed his dad’s shady dealings which involved a lot of violence and incessant clashes with the authorities.
Being involved in what is arguably South Africa’s most popular soapie catapulted Nay Maps to instant fame, making him a fan favorite. Having captured millions of hearts in Uzalo, fans were always looking forward to seeing him grace the screen in the next episode. Thus, when the producers of the drama series announced that Nay Maps was set to exit the show alongside Glen Gabela and Nokuthula Manila, they got the viewing public enraged.
Having joined the show around 2014, Maps was barely four years old on set when the official announcement of his exit came from Bongo Ndaba, the head writer of Uzalo. Leaving Uzalo was obviously not the end of his acting career as the Gauteng native has continued to do exploits. He is currently enjoying a gig in The Queen where he breathed life into the character of Dingane.
Just in 2021 alone, Nay Maps recorded recurring supporting roles in several productions – SABC 2’s Tshivenda soapie entitled Muvhango cast him as Tshireletso. Imbewu: The Seed, a popular e.tv soapie started featuring him as Zenzele, and he joined the cast of Mzansi Magic’s Sunday Thriller known as Umkhokha where he gives expression to the character of Siphamandla.
Maps is also seen on Netflix’s comedy movie, Little Big Mouth, where he shared the screen with movie greats like Amanda du Pont. The movie premiered on October 2021 and is getting positive reception from the viewing public. The year 2022 looks like it is going to be great for Nay Maps as he already has two projects lined up. Below is a comprehensive list of the entertainer’s acting credits.
- Isibaya as Tshepo
- Uzalo as Mxolisi Mdletshe
- The Queen as Dingane
- Muvhango as Zenzele
- Imbewu: The Seed as Tshireletso.
- Umkhokha as Siphamandla
Important to note that he also came as one of the celebrity contestants on the eighth season of the reality television context, Tropika Island of Treasure. Speaking in an interview session, the multi-talented entertainer revealed that he has his eye on becoming a Hollywood actor someday, and from the look of things, his hard work and determination may get him there sooner than later.
Maps’ Work As A Model
In addition to presenting programs and taking some acting roles, Nay Maps has equally proved that he can hold his own in the world of modeling. Several top-notch South African brands have hired his services in the past and he was seen in several of their commercials.
He May Yet Turn Out to be A Great Musician
Considering the type of parents he has, it does not come as a surprise that Nay Maps also knows his way around in the music field. His parents who are both ministers and musicians served as a huge inspiration for the youngster, motivating him to make an impact in music. Being the type that puts no particular label on his work, Nay has been diverse with the musical genres he produces – we have seen a bit of Soul, RnB, and Hip-hop in some of the work he has put out.
Though we are yet to see any official record from him as he has dedicated more of his time to acting, the multi-talented artist has dropped covers for popular songs, including the likes of Controller and Adorn. Taking these covers into considerations, fans already view Maps in the light of a professional and can’t wait for him to release an official record.
Talking to Destiny Connect in a recent interview session, the Gauteng star revealed his plans for the future which includes taking music a bit more seriously in the ensuing years. He is looking to drop two or more singles, he is equally planning to work on a few collaborations with some already established artists in South Africa.
Maps Has Proved His Shrewdness In The Wheeling-Dealing World of Business
Undeniably, Nay Maps is counted among South Africa’s most stylish men. He has got the looks, the flair he displays is indisputably palpable, and what’s more, the multi-talented actor has the needed swag to go with the looks. Music and acting aside, Nay has a good dress sense which has not gone unnoticed and fans have come to love him for that.
The dude sure knows how to turn heads and it is not surprising that he put creativity into fashion by deciding to go into the clothing business. Maps is the owner of Nay Maps Clothing whose head office is sited in Durban. His wears are currently circulating in Durban, but according to the actor cum musician, he is seriously exploring avenues of making his clothing label reach other provinces outside Durban.
Social Media
Social media has become one of the highlights of modern society and has created a lot of celebrities in recent times. Even those who already achieved fame from other fields like Nay Maps are leveraging the channels to propagate their fame. On his own part, Maps favors the picture-sharing platform, Instagram where he interacts with fans. He can be found at @naymaps on IG with above 481,000 followers and counting.
People who follow his Insta Stories will attest that Nay is tops when it has to do with fashion and the number of likes he keeps getting for his stylish outfits is a testament to his great sense of fashion.
Apart from Instagram, the Pretoria-born star has also established his presence on Twitter and can be located @maps_maphalala. The Twitter handle is very active as he prefers to share his daily activities there.
Nay Maps Loves to Give Back to Society
Nay Maps is one South African actor with a big heart. He loves giving back to society and his major focus is the youth. Empathizing the youths of his country, The Queen star recalled how the rate of unemployment is growing by the day and so many youths are left without a means of survival. He partners with Defy and engages in several fundraising for the betterment of the youths of South Africa.
Below is a bullet list of all his career endeavors:
- Presenting
- Acting
- Modeling
- Music
- Social media
- Business