He acted in Athol Fugard's plays, "The Island," "Sizwe Bansi Is Dead," and "Statements After An Arrest Under The Immorality Act," at the Royal Court Theatre in London, England with Winston Ntshona, Yvonne Bryceland, Ben Kingsley, and Wilson Dunster in the cast. Athol Fugard was also director.
Kani lost his left eye during a beating by South African police after returning home from a Broadway production of "Sizwe Banzi Is Dead", which was critical of Apartheid. He survived after being left for dead and subsequently won a 1975 Tony Award for his performance.
