11 March, 2019 - 06:03
In the second episode of the Showmax Original Trippin With Skhumba, the 2018 DStv Viewers Choice Award: Favourite Comedian winner and 2017 Comics Choice Comic of the Year drives over 1 000 kilometres from Jozi in his CaraCara to visit Siya Seya in the Xhosa comedians hometown of Port Elizabeth.
Here are five things you should know about the 2018 Comics Choice Native tongue winner, who was also nominated as Best Indigenous Comedian at the 2015 South African Traditional Music Achievement Awards:
#1. Siyas mother was surprised he became a comedian
When Skhumba visits Siyas mother in Motherwell Township, he asks her, Ma, how do you feel having such a funny child? Are you aware of how powerful your son is now?
Siyas mother says she didnt see it coming. My child, I dont know how it happened. Because growing up, he didnt talk a lot. Siyabulela is generally a quiet person. He shocked me when I saw him talk so much. I didnt know he could be that way.
#2. Siya was inspired by Chris Rock
The first stand-up comedy I watched was Chris Rocks DVD, Siya tells Skhumba, admitting he modelled his early routines on the American. I was naive when I started comedy. I thought I was Chris Rock himself - the Xhosa version. I didnt realise that when Chris Rock talks about black and white people, its actually part of his daily experience. Ive never had a white friend so Id never know anything about white people. So I kept dying on stage. I died for a good two years.
#3. No one came to Siyas first gig
Cut off from a comedy scene, Siya tried to bypass years of guest spots on other comedians gigs and go straight to doing his own one-hour, one-man show instead - at the Opera House no less (admittedly not on the main stage at least). The 2007 show was called Toothless Nonsense and produced from his friends R70 investment, using a poster made in Microsoft Word. No one came for the first two nights, which was a relief for Siya, because first of all I had never been in a comedy show. Id never even done five minutes on stage. Id never seen another comedian doing comedy on stage.
#4. Siya cant drive, so used to hitchhike to all his gigs
When Skhumba offers to let Siya drive the CaraCara, since its his hometown, the comedian admits he cant. I attended driving school once, Siya says. I went to a driving school in Joburg and they taught me how to drive in Setswana. Except I cant drive and I cant understand Setswana...
Instead Siyas had to hitchhike to many of his gigs - including East London, King Williams Town and Grahamstown. When you work here in the Eastern Cape, the best and cheapest source of transport is hitchhiking from private cars. Its the norm here.
Get More Film Business South Africa
Select your Membership
He says getting home is usually easier than arriving on time. Weve been embarrassed many times. You kill on stage and then you have no transport. The audience must now save you.
#5. Siya became an overnight sensation - a decade later
Nine years after that first one-man show - after three trips to Cape Town and another to Joburg - Siya still wasnt a famous comedian. He credits Skhumba with changing that. As a comedian, when youre coming from another province, you call every comedian; you inbox and you stalk every comedian. Hey, Im gonna be in Joburg, please hook me up with gigs. And basically, Skhumba saved my life. In 2016, he took me in when I arrived in Joburg with no plan and one months rent and helped me find gigs.
Since then, Siyas grown from strength to strength, performing at huge events like Comedy Under The Sun by Mashabela Galane, MoJokes by David Kau, and Blacks Only. Hes currently touring his one-man show, Critical But Stable - and may be back at Port Elizabeths Opera House soon, on the main stage this time...
New episodes weekly, only on Showmax
Trippin With Skhumba, Showmaxs first vernacular Original and first Original reality series, releases new episodes every Thursday. The first episode focused on 2016 Comics Choice Native Tongue winner Mashabela Galane, visiting his home in Moletjie, Limpopo. Next week, Skhumba will head to Kempton Park in Gauteng with 2015 Comics Choice Intermediate winner Schalk Bezuidenhout. Subsequent episodes will focus on Celeste Ntuli (Empangeni, KwaZulu-Natal), who was the most nominated comedian with Skhumba going into the 2018 Comics Choice Awards; 2017 Native Tongue winner Salesman (Pretoria); and 2016 Comic of the Year winner Tumi Morake (Bloemfontein).
Book your tickets now for the comedy special that ends the season
The first season will end with an hour-long stand-up special, featuring Skhumba and his guests, as well as one new comedian from each hometown visited. Ticket sales are now open for Trippin With Skhumba: The Live Comedy Show, which will be held on 23 March 2019 at 1 Fox Junction in Newtown, with the show starting at 8pm. Early bird tickets cost R250, with the price going up to R320 soon. Limited tickets are available, so book fast. For more information, visit https://www.webtickets.co.za/event.aspx?itemid=1489207399.
Watch the first two episodes of Trippin With Skhumba first and only on Showmax: https://www.showmax.com/eng/tvseries/n0rcixt9-trippin-with-skhumba.
About Trippin With Skhumba
In each 30-minute episode, Skhumba will drive a fellow South African comedian back to their hometown, exploring places that wont make any tourism brochures and stories that would be edited out of any authorised biographies.
Trippin With Skhumba is directed by Vincent Moloi, who won the 2019 Best Director: TV Drama SAFTA last weekend for Tjovitjo. The series is being produced for Showmax by Diprente (the production company behind this years box office hit Matwetwe; Catching Feelings; and the International Emmy-nominated Late Nite News With Loyiso Gola), which is co-owned by 2018 Comics Choice Comics Pen winner Kagi
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
19/08/2026
As the cost of IP nears price parity with traditional SDI, Reynolds argues that ...
19/08/2026
A private 5G bubble was chosen instead of traditional broadcast RF for the race ...
19/08/2026
(L-R) Rafael Manuel and Isabel Sicat attend the Filipi ana premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 23, 2026, in Park Cit...
19/08/2026
Studio owners invited to have their say on rates cuts
The Music Producers Guild (MPG) are inviting UK-based studios to take part in an in-depth survey that ...
19/08/2026
Vintage-inspired desktop interface revealed
Harrison's latest hardware offering sees them head into the world of audio interfaces, delivering a 10-in/12...
19/08/2026
Granular effect remains locked to scale and tempo
Described as your dream granular effect , Minimal Audio's latest creation is capable of turning any s...
19/08/2026
First polyphonic SWAM instrument incoming
Audio Modeling's latest physical-modelling orchestral instrument is just around the corner, and is now availab...
19/08/2026
World Cup Games Generate 84 Billion Minutes Across FOX, Fox Sports 1 and NBCU...
19/08/2026
July brought typical peak-holiday drops in viewership, driven primarily by viewers stepping away from screens and a visible decline in reach across both traditi...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Henry joins BCE as the company accelerates its commercial strategy and expands its international presence across the media, broadcast and technology markets. He...
19/08/2026
iWedia, a leading provider of software solutions for connected TV devices, today announced a major milestone in Android platform optimization with the successfu...
19/08/2026
NTP Technology announces that ST 2110-30 audio-over-IP connectivity with AES67 and RAVENNA capabilities is now available for the brand's world-class audio i...
19/08/2026
Net Insight has been selected to provide its Nimbra platform by the service provider Big Blue Marble, formerly ORS Group, as the core media transport solution f...
19/08/2026
LiveU has supported Coventry City FC and several other top-flight UK football clubs through one of their most demanding live production challenges of the year, ...
19/08/2026
Nature Seekers Documentary Shot with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Filming endangered turtles required camera...
19/08/2026
Neyrinck Brings D-Control Consoles Back to Life on Apple Silicon with D-Control ...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Australia, implemented a comprehensive communications infrastructure that brin...
19/08/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, will spotlight a major leap forward in remote guest con...
19/08/2026
Integrated platform melds media asset management, playout automation and newsroom workflows
EMAM, PlayBox Neo and SNEWS have officially launched Nuvex, a conne...
19/08/2026
Screen Australia releases the Private Investment Toolkit to strengthen screen in...
19/08/2026
Do Aussies truly value local content? Unpacking Screen Currency 2026 with Deirdr...
19/08/2026
There's an early Christmas gift for Bookish fans, as UKTV confirms the re-commission of the hit U&alibi drama, created by and starring Mark Gatiss. Viewers ...
19/08/2026
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Sky gives sports fans the chance to watch multiple liv...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
SportStream 2026, a free three-day virtual event, will take place September 15-17. One registration provides access to all three days of live programming and on...
18/08/2026
BeckTV will introduce BeckFlow to the European market at IBC2026, demonstrated on the Providius stand (10.F53).
BeckFlow is a web-based schematic documentation...
18/08/2026
Boland Communications will introduce a SMPTE ST 2110 input option for its 4K monitors at IBC2026, along with a new 55-inch super-narrow bezel display for video ...
18/08/2026
Dolby Laboratories and the Seattle Seahawks have announced a partnership integrating Dolby OptiView into the Seahawks' live streaming coverage, making the S...
18/08/2026
For BMG Executive Producer of Sports Production, Graham Taylor, producing live s...
18/08/2026
TMRW Sports has appointed Rufus Hack as President of Golf, a newly created role in which he will lead the company's golf businesses including TGL presented ...
18/08/2026
SMT will provide race technology for FOX Sports' coverage of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. on August 23, when the NTT INDYCAR SERIES races ...
18/08/2026
The live, YouTube-native roundtables combine fan voices, credentialed reporters,...
18/08/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/08/2026
The industry legend sounds off on replacing the Heat's iconic Medusa score...
18/08/2026
William F. Rasmussen, the sports fan-turned broadcaster and entrepreneur whose out-of-the-box idea of a 24-hour cable sports network, ESPN, changed forever the ...
18/08/2026
DAZN Group has completed its acquisition of ViewLift, a provider of streaming and digital solutions for sports content owners. The acquisition was first announc...
18/08/2026
The American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB) has added SI TV, Sports Illustrated's 24/7 streaming channel, as a broadcast partner for the remain...
18/08/2026
The Esports Foundation has announced that the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), originally scheduled for November 2026 in Riyadh, will be postponed to Novemb...
18/08/2026
Diversified has announced a new Global Managed Services Practice, consolidating the company's managed services capabilities into one organization. Rob Mello...
18/08/2026
Appear has completed a proof of concept with Thoroughbred Racing Productions (TRP), demonstrating multi-camera remote live production over bonded 5G cellular an...
11 March, 2019 - 06:03 
