Our childhoods are often made special by the memories we make along the way, and the media we consumed played a big part in that.
Among those who made television, radio or magazine time as entertaining as possible in the early 2000s were the child stars who were growing up and figuring themselves out along with us and now we look at where they are today.
The continuous advancement of technology has meant that in today’s day and age, civilians have a little bit more access to celebrities and people in the media. A decade and more ago, before social media was as big as it is, getting the inside scoop on our favourite personalities required determination and actual journalism which is not the case today.
Have you ever wondered what happened to your favourite child actor or musician that you watched growing up and suddenly stopped following because you grew up or just lost interest? Well, I went through the trouble of researching where some of the most popular child stars of the 2000s went.
Msawawa
Starting strong, we have one of the biggest child musicians of the 2010s, Msawawa, born Siboniso Dlamini who was responsible for several bangers such as ‘Bhibo’ and ‘Bowungakanani’. His music career began at just eight years old and has managed to remain in the industry to date.
To this day, Msawawa is booked to perform his hit songs from a decade ago, furthermore, he is also still making new music for his supporters to enjoy.
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Junior Singo
Up next is actor Junior Singo, who was considered one of the most talented child stars to grace our TV screens. Featuring in major films such as ‘Themba’ and ‘Beat the Drum’, Junior quickly made a name for himself in the industry as the kid to look out for.
Growing up, Junior stuck with acting and landed roles on Mzansi Magic’s ‘The Queen’ and ‘Zabalaza’. He now goes by Nathaniel Junior Oliphant, and he has expanded his skillset and dabbles in acting, production, entertaining, DJing as well as MCing.
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Sade Gilbert
Of course, this list would not be complete without at least one of the popular YOTV presenters and we have chosen Sade Gilbert, as we often bump into Musa Mthombeni and Hulisani Ravele now and then when they make headlines.
Sade was known for her extremely bubbly and quirky personality on our TV screens and it is evident she has not grown out of it as an adult. The half-Zulu, half-Italian actor and presenter has since moved to Great Britain and recently married her partner, Coco Chane. Their wedding was officiated by none other than Hulisani, who has remained close friends with Sade.
Former YoTV star Sade Giliberti ties the knot with Coco Chana, with Hulisani Ravele stepping in to officiate their wedding instead of a pastor. pic.twitter.com/DLAgCPmM5d
— MDN NEWS (@MDNnewss) October 11, 2024
Given Stuurman
As a child, Given was extremely popular for a PostBank advertisement where he featured alongside late actor Sello Motloung. It is this advert that catapulted Given’s career into what we see today as he continues to grace our TV screens.
Currently, Given is an established talent in our industry, and has managed to bag a National Film and Television Awards nomination as a supporting actor in his role on the Netflix film ‘Piano Love’.
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