Exclusive: Lasiwe on ‘Masked Singer SA’, selling home and more
· The South African
YouTube star Lasizwe Dambuza was the latest celebrity to be unmasked on The Masked Singer South Africa season three, which aired on SABC 2 on Saturday 29 August. He sat down for an exclusive interview with The South African to share his experience of being on the show and opened up about selling his townhouse in Bryanston.
LASIZWE UNMASKED AS SUSHI ON THE MASKED SINGER SA
The mystery has been cracked. YouTube star Lasizwe Dambuza has been revealed to be under the mask of Sushi on The Masked Singer South Africa season three, and only one detective managed to crack the case. Lasizwe has a whopping 1.9 million followers on Instagram.
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The social media star performed Babes Wodumo’s Umngan’wami. Was the song choice a giveaway? Maybe, maybe not. But as detectives J’Something, Somizi, and Sithelo Shozi, along with guest detective Jason Goliath, sitting in for Skhumba, knew from experience, every morsel of information could be a piece of the perplexing puzzle. So they had to cast their net wide, trawling through clues dropped throughout the season.
When Sushi stunned the detectives with his first appearance on The Masked Singer South Africa season three, his clue package was appropriately set against the colourful, saturated backdrop of a futuristic Japanese city, as he revealed that he shares a name with “a national hero”. With related Japanese and soccer references popping up throughout the Sushi case, the detectives latched onto these hints a couple of times.
It was this week’s “Clue Game” that finally cracked it open. A phone, a Martini glass and an R10 note lined up perfectly with Lasizwe’s real-life story, from the phone he won that kickstarted his content career, to his “R10 Goes a Long Way” campaign and his YouTube show Drink or Tell the Truth.
Other invaluable tidbits peppered into his clue packages included phrases such as “a literal princess is the reason why I’m here”, “an upbringing rooted in grace”, the word “faith”, and suggestions about content creation. That’s why the panel of investigators previously locked in names such as content creator and radio and TV personality Okay Wasabi; rugby star Cheslin Kolbe, who has played club rugby in Japan; and content creator Primo Baloyi, who shares a surname with soccer star Brian Baloyi. Footballer-turned-commentator Bongani Khumalo was also a possibility.
Somizi Mhlongo was the sole sleuth to correctly guess Lasizwe’s identity, a spot-on call that keeps him at the top of the leaderboard for the season’s Golden Ear trophy. Sushi had the panel stumped for weeks, with clues pointing to a “national hero” name, Japanese references, and a mysterious “literal princess” connection.
Despite performing Babes Wodumo’s Umngan’wami this week, Sushi couldn’t dodge elimination, landing in the Danger Zone against Gogga, who ultimately sent him packing.
Lasizwe took it all in stride, joking about his newfound dance moves and thanking fans for the ride. Last week, Radio Raps’ Rikus de Beer was unmasked as King Pie on Masked Singer SA.
EXCLUSIVE: Q&A WITH LASIZWE
How did it feel to make it this far in the competition?
Survived for nine weeks, has been quite fulfilling, I wanted to survive more. But nine weeks is not bad… there were 16 celebrities in essence. So, flying colours!
Was it difficult keeping this secret from your fans?
It was extremely difficult keeping the secret because I am someone who everyday kind of updates my fans and supporters of my everyday life. So, for a minute or a moment, people didn’t have access to me so…they were like ‘where are you?’. And I was like ‘oh, damn, I can’t even tell you where I am,’ but very difficult.
Were you comfortable singing?
I was comfortable rapping more than singing!
Do you know any of the detectives personally?
No. No I don’t know any of the detectives… I don’t know any of the judges.
What surprised you most about being on the Masked Singer South Africa?
I think the fact that like you are under a mask and people actually don’t know who you are… you can actually like really have a room to just do anything and everything. Usually, I am under a lot of scrutiny so for a change like… I could do the wildest things and let the mask get away with it.
Who do you think would make it to the top three?
Definitely the Sheep, Pineapple and Mosquito is also good, really good. I want to add Sushi, Sushi should have been there! Babes Wodum just threw me off, my voice was very evident.
You’ve had so many different chapters publicly. What chapter do you feel you’re entering now?
I think I am entering a very a very ball-sy chapter in my life, where I am able to articulate myself very well. There are a lot of things that are happening in my life, that I wanted to keep private and now the public has gotten a hold of such information.
LASIZWE ON SELLING HIS HOUSE
The content creator also addressed the reports of his house being listed for sale. He explained that he is selling his home, just like everyone else buys and sells home. He also expressed that he wanted to keep this private but he is carrying himself through all of the drama.
“I just love how I’m carrying myself through all of the drama and the debacle, and the ‘oh my god, what is going on, Lasizwe is selling his house,’ yes, I am selling a house like everyone else. Everyone buys and sells a house, it’s a housing market. I am very courageous,” he said exclusively to The South African.
The property, which is listed on Property24, is a three-bedroom and three-and-a-half bathroom townhouse in Bryanston listed for R3.8 million. The property measures approximately 213 square metres. Features of the property also include a study, a private garden and is equipped with Smart Home Automation with Voice & App Control. It is located in a secure complex with 24-hour security.
Take a look inside the home here.