Lasizwe facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Lasizwe
Lasizwe on MacG Podcast
Born	Thulasizwe Siphiwe Dambuza (1998-07-19) 19 July 1998 (age 27) 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
Years active	2017–present
Subscribers	1.01 million
Total views	125.9 million
Subscriber and view counts updated as of 26 January 2025.

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. Lasizwe was the first African to host his own reality TV show on MTV Africa, called "@Lasizwe: Fake It Till You Make It." This show was very popular, running for three seasons. His success helped him get listed on Forbes Africa's '30 Under 30' list, which celebrates young, successful people.

Lasizwe also creates and hosts two popular YouTube shows. One is Awkward Dates, where he goes on blind dates with different celebrities. The other is a game show called Drink or Tell the Truth.

About Lasizwe's Early Life

Lasizwe was born in Soweto, South Africa. He went to Meredale Primary School and then Mondeor High School in Johannesburg. His mother, Lindiwe Dambuza, was a nurse who passed away in 2016. His father was Menzi Mcunu.

His older sister, Zonke Nkabinde, also played a big part in his life. She helped guide and protect him as he grew up.

Lasizwe's Career Journey

Before he became famous, Lasizwe's mother often took him to TV auditions. When he was 12, she explained that these auditions were too expensive. So, Lasizwe started entering competitions to win phones or cameras.

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 how to edit videos. He saved his videos on DVDs and watched them on TV. This made him want to be on TV even more.

He started posting videos on Facebook, making funny content that many South Africans could relate to. His first video that went viral was Ek Sal Doom Jou. This video was a skit based on news about a pastor. After this video became popular, different brands asked him to be in their commercials.

Helping Students with Fees

Between 2020 and 2021, Lasizwe helped raise R2 million (about $100,000 USD) for students. These students needed money for university registration fees. This happened during protests in South Africa where students were asking for "Fees Must Fall." His "R10 goes a long way" campaign helped 313 students.

Forbes Africa Recognition

In June 2022, Lasizwe was featured on the Forbes Africa '30 Under 30' list. This list celebrates young people under 30 who are making a big impact. Lasizwe shared on Twitter that he dedicated this award to his parents. He wrote about how he went from making videos with a phone in Soweto to being on Forbes.

TV and Radio Appearances

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

He appeared in TV commercials for Nando's and Fanta. For Fanta, he even 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, Lasizwe partnered with GAME Stores. This happened after he posted a video where his famous character, "Nomatriquency," interviewed for a job at GAME.

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

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

On April 1, 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 in the African Netflix series Savage Beauty.

In August 2022, Lasizwe won two Prism Awards for his online character Nomatriquency. On September 3, 2022, he hosted the 16th 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 of their choice.

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

Music Videos

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

YouTube Success

Lasizwe is a very popular YouTuber with over 80 million views on his videos. In April 2019, YouTube gave him a Silver Play Button for reaching 100,000 subscribers.

In April 2021, he started his YouTube show, Drink or Tell the Truth. On this show, celebrities have to choose between answering a question honestly or drinking a special mix made by Lasizwe.

In June 2023, Lasizwe launched his new YouTube show, Awkward Dates. The first episode came out in July as a birthday gift to himself. This comedy show features Lasizwe going on blind dates with different celebrities.

He shared that the idea for Awkward Dates came to him during a difficult time. He was inspired by a show called Chicken Shop Date by a UK content creator. He then thought about how to make it his own and even better.

Because of its success, Awkward Dates was nominated for Best Online Content at the 2024 South African Film and Television Awards. In April 2025, it was announced that the show would also be shown on Mzansi Magic TV channel.

Brand Endorsements

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 made-up character, "Nomatriquency."

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

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

Lasizwe's Filmography

Awards and Achievements