Lasizwe facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lasizwe
Lasizwe on MacG Podcast
Born	Thulasizwe Siphiwe Dambuza (1998-07-19) 19 July 1998 (age 26) Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa
Other names	Lasizwe Babes Wamaleyvels Sweerie Nomatriquency
Education	Meredale Primary School Mondeor High School
Occupation	Actor Media personality Television personality YouTuber Social media influencer
Years active	2015–present
Relatives	Khanyi Mbau (half-sister)
YouTube information
Born	Thulasizwe Siphiwe Dambuza Soweto, Johannesburg, South Africa
Years active	2017–present
Subscribers	1 Million (12 December 2024)
Total views	116.9 million (12 October 2024)
Subscriber and view counts updated as of 24 January 2023.

Thulasizwe Siphiwe Dambuza (born 19 July 1998), known as Lasizwe, is a South African actor, TV host, YouTuber, and social media star. He became famous for making funny videos about everyday life. He was the first African to have his own reality TV show on MTV Africa, called "@Lasizwe: Fake It Till You Make It." This show had three successful seasons. Because of his achievements, he was even named one of Forbes Africa's "30 Under 30" young leaders. He also created and hosts a YouTube show called Awkward Dates, where he goes on funny blind dates with famous people.

Early Life and Education

Lasizwe was born in Soweto, South Africa. He went to Meredale Primary School. This was a mixed-race primary school in Meredale, south of Johannesburg. Later, he attended Mondeor High School in Mondeor. His mother, Lindiwe Dambuza, was a nurse. She passed away in 2016. His father was Menzi Mcunu.

His sister, Zonke Nkabinde, also played a big part in his life. She helped and guided him. Lasizwe noticed he felt different from other boys. He realized this when he was about 15 years old.

Career Highlights

Before he became famous, Lasizwe's mother often took him to TV auditions. This happened every week across Gauteng when he was in primary school. When he was 12, his mother explained that these auditions were too expensive. He then started entering competitions to win phones or video equipment.

He won a phone from a radio competition. He used this phone to start making his first videos. He also used his mother's laptop to record and learn basic video editing. He saved his videos on DVD discs and watched them on TV. His dream to be on TV led him to post videos on Facebook. He started creating funny videos about South African life.

His first video that became very popular was Ek Sal Doom Jou. This was a funny skit based on news reports about a pastor. The video went viral, meaning many people watched and shared it. This led to different brands asking him to be in their commercials.

Between 2020 and 2021, Lasizwe helped raise R2 million. This money was for students who needed help paying their university fees. This happened during the "Fees must fall" protests in South Africa. His "R10 goes a long way" campaign helped 313 students.

In June 2022, he was featured on the Forbes Africa '30 Under 30' list. This list celebrates young leaders under 30. Lasizwe shared his happiness on Twitter:

From making videos using a phone in the streets of Pimville Soweto to making it onto #Forbes30Under30. Anything is possible. I dedicate this award to all my parents. I wish I had the opportunity to see their reactions this... Your boy is on FORBES.

Television Appearances

Lasizwe has appeared on many TV shows. He was a main presenter on MTV Base Africa's You Got Got. He also presented on SABC 3's The Scoop Africa and SABC 1's The Real Goboza. In 2017, he hosted an outdoor event for Mabala Noise. He also presented an award at the 2017 South African Hip Hop Awards.

He was in TV commercials for Nando's and Fanta. For Fanta, he became their new teen marketing director. In late 2017, he started working as a radio presenter on TouchHD. In 2018, he hosted e.tv's youth show Craz-e World Live and VOOV TV's VOOVScoop.

In May 2019, he partnered with GAME Stores. This deal happened after he posted a video of his popular character "Nomatriquency" applying for a job at GAME.

In July 2020, he starred in the Netflix movie, Seriously Single. In November 2020, he hosted the SABC 1 and Telkom music show, Telkom Monate Vibes.

In September 2021, he worked with Steers for the #NomatriquencyxSteers campaign. His character Nomatriquency got a job with the brand. Later that year, he hosted a Comedy Central Roast spin-off show.

On 1 April 2022, he appeared in the e.tv TV series Durban Gen. In the same month, he was nominated for Favourite Personality at the 2022 DStv Mzansi Viewers' Choice Awards. He also made a small appearance on the Netflix series, Savage Beauty.

In August 2022, Lasizwe won two Prism Awards for his online character Nomatriquency. On 3 September 2022, he hosted the 16th annual South African Film and Television Awards.

In September 2023, he won the second season of Canon’s reality TV series, The Perfect Picture. In November 2023, he was a cast member on Trevor Noah’s comedy show, LOL: Last One Laughing South Africa. On this show, entertainers compete for a R1 million prize for a charity.

In May 2024, Lasizwe was part of the panel for the Showmax and Laugh Africa Comedy show, Roast of Minnie Dlamini.

Music Ventures

In December 2017, Lasizwe was featured in a music video. It was for the song "Jiva Phez'kombhede" by Babes Wodumo and Ntando Duma.

YouTube Success

Lasizwe is a very popular YouTuber. His videos have been watched more than 80 million times. In April 2019, YouTube gave him a Silver Play Button. This award is given when a channel reaches 100,000 subscribers.

In June 2023, Lasizwe started his new YouTube show, Awkward Dates. The first episode was released in July, as a birthday gift to himself. This YouTube series is a comedy show. Lasizwe goes on funny blind dates with different famous people.

He shared what inspired the show with Daily Sun:

I was going through a lot and wasn’t creative. One day, I watched a show called Chicken Shop Date by a UK content creator and got inspired. I started thinking about how I could make it better and more personal.

The show became very successful. It was nominated for Best Online Content at the 2024 South African Film and Television Awards.

Endorsements and Recognition

In early 2018, Lasizwe became the Teen Marketing Director for Fanta.

He was nominated for a Feather Award for Social Media Personality of the Year. In 2021, he received a People's Choice Award. He has also been named one of the top YouTubers in South Africa under the age of 24. In 2021, he was nominated as The E! African Social Star. He is also the first South African to get an endorsement deal for a fictional character. This character is his famous "Nomatriquency."

In September 2023, he won season 2 of Canon’s reality TV series, The Perfect Picture. He won a trophy, R150,000, and R100,000 worth of Canon camera gear.

In June 2024, Volvo Cars South Africa chose Lasizwe and Thea Booysen as EX30 Champions. They will help promote Volvo's newest electric car, the EX30. During this campaign, Lasizwe showed off a special outfit. It was designed by Nao Serati and inspired by Volvo's car interior using AI.

Filmography

Awards and Recognition