Lasizwe’s Awkward Dates deal with Multichoice comes to an end

by Nomonde Simelane

After dominating South Africa’s YouTube space for a while, Lasizwe Dambuza became one of the hand-selected content creators afforded the opportunity to make the move to TV. However, after getting embroiled in some controversy, the deal with Multichoice  has ended.

Lasizwe’s Youtube career dates all the way back to 2017, when his videos depicting South African life and culture. These video’s resonated closely with a large audience, and propelled the youngster to becoming one of the more popular content creators in the country.

After dealing with various mental health challenges, and taking a YouTube hiatus for some time, Lasizwe returned in 2023 with a bang, where he revealed that he would pursuing a new endeavour, which he coined as ‘Awkward Dates‘. This YouTube series sees the content creators embarking on various dates with some of the industry’s most notable names, including the likes of Bonang Matheba, Zozibini Tunzi, Julius Malema, and many more.

Earlier this year, as a broader initiative by DSTV to transition some digital content into the traditional television space, Lasizwe was announced as one of the few digital content creators who would be one of eight creators selected to test this prototype out. However, three months after the first episode of Awkward Dates aired on Mzansi Magic, it appears his deal with Multichoice has already come to its conclusion, following some controversy regarding some guests quickly arose.

According to City Press, currently, it is uncertain whether it was Lasizwe who made the decision to step away, or whether it was Multichoice who severed ties with him. However, the publication reveals that although everything appeared to be going according to plan at first, trouble began when some guests demanded to be paid for their appearance on TV, as they had only agreed to YouTube.

Popular TikToker Dominic Zaca is among the guests who have been open to the public about his dissatisfaction with Lasizwe and his team, particularly with the way they handled matters after countlessly attempting to reach out to deal with the matter amicably.

@zacadominic @Lasizwe ♬ original sound – Dominic Zaca – Gay Thanos

Also see: WATCH: Dominic Zaca accuses Lasizwe of breaching their ‘Awkward Dates’ contract