Many would be happy to learn that the two men have a long theatre history. In fact, Keitumele was Gape's mentor and according to him (Gape), it was a dream come true when they finally started working together on the popular drama. By his own admission, Gape has always liked the limelight and often enjoyed playing Jesus during the primary school dramas because he would be sure to be the centre of attraction.
The 29-year-old from Ramotswa, credits Keitumele for his acting skills. He has revealed to Showbiz that while still at Baitlotli Junior Secondary School, Keitumele, who was already studying at Kagiso Senior Secondary School, used to coach him and that the two of them just clicked and have been great pals ever since. "He was my role model, he was very popular in Ramotswa for his acting skills and though this dream of ever appearing on television seemed remote, I just felt inspired by his acting. I was then lucky to get a chance to work under him during those days and learnt much in the process and when he invited me to do Ntsoro le Toki I was excited as it meant he had seen something special in me because he picked me from a group," Gape told Showbiz. After featuring in Ntsoro le Toki, Gape's skills were recognised beyond our borders and in 2005 he was invited for auditions by famous South African playwright and producer Mbongeni Ngema, for a play that was scheduled to tour South Africa for two months before going abroad.
