As a result of how bad life was treating him and his family members, Joe Kazadi had to take up a job as a waiter, and with the money he made, he enrolled for a culinary art course but had to drop out along the line. However, he had learned how to cook. As early as the age of 18, he started working as a chef. He did not make so much money from the job but was able to provide food for his stomach and probably for other needs but not enough to save.
Aside from the little money he got from his work, it also brought him closer to someone who believed that life had something better to offer him than the work of a chef, and that person was his patron. A year after he got the job as a chef, one of the days he came to work, she told him that he had everything it took to excel as a model. Yes, Joe had that nice-looking macho body since he was 19 years old.
After considering all odds and seeing that he had nothing to lose, the actor decided to try modeling. He registered at a modeling agency and decided to keep his fingers crossed on getting a gig. Thankfully, after some months, he landed his first modeling gig, and it paid him better than what he received at the restaurant where he worked.
Not long after his first modeling gig, Joe Kazadi lost his job at the restaurant. After weighing all options, he decided to take the bold decision of leaving Durban for Johannesburg. At that moment, all he had was the passion for moving to Johannesburg in search of greener pastures, but he had no money to achieve that aim. However, he did not let that discourage him; instead, he worked up to his friend to ask for money. He received R120, but that was not enough for the journey.
Joe Kazadi refused to be discouraged, he decided to beg a bus driver to help him, and the best the driver who was trying to be kind to him could do was make space for him to sit in the trailer with the luggage. It was not a pleasant experience for him, but the joy of pursuing his dreams in Johannesburg was enough to keep him going.
Joe Kazadi just knew that he wanted to come to Johannesburg, but he did not have a place to sleep or money to take care of himself. However, his determination to build a better life for himself kept him going. He went through many extremely hard times in Johannesburg before making it to the limelight, including sleeping in an abandoned building full of rats and at night,
Coming to Johannesburg may not have been a rosy experience nor a smooth sail for Joe, but it was all worth it, and his determination finally started to pay off. In 2011, he got to know about Ice Modeling Agency. However, he had to walk a long distance to come for a photoshoot, but at this point, life had taught him never to be afraid of anything.
Finally, after years of suffering and hard work, Joe started getting small acting gigs, like the role of Black Mamba in Intersexions and the role of Phillipe, the ruthless boss of Nkunzi in Uzalo. Even without going to a formal acting school, producers took note of his acting skills, and sooner than later, he landed the big one – the role of Thabiso in The Queen and Mukuna in Scandal ETV
Joe Kazadi has a beautiful home in Johannesburg which he shares with his daughter, Omotola Zizipho Kazadi, who was born in 2019.