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Let's learn a little more about Lawrence – BBMzansi

News
22 December 2021
The actor / presenter's announcement as host of the new season of Big Brother Mzansi has been met with widespread approval. Let's take a moment to learn a bit more about him.
Lawrence Host Image

A lot of ink has been devoted in numerous publications to Monday’s announcement that Lawrence Maleka would be joining the Big Brother Mzansi team as presenter of the coming season, but we thought it was time for us to share a bit of the beloved TV personality’s background with you.

The self-taught 31-year-old was born in Soweto and rose to prominence when he was picked as the presenter of The Gadget Show on Soweto TV, followed by success on several other shows, including Star Gist and All Access Mzansi. His major break-through came when he replaced Bonang Matheba as the host of South Africa’s version of Clash of the Choirs.

Presenting is not his only skill, though, and his first foray into acting on screen came with the role of Don Webster on the Mzansi Magic soap, iSibaya, followed by a turn on the The River as Zolani – a role that earned him the Golden Horn for Best Supporting Actor in a Telenovela at the 2019 South African Film and Television Awards.

“When it comes to being a [TV] personality,” he says, “I try make it as authentic as possible, because the one thing I can never believe is that a presenter is happy all the time. It becomes disingenuous.”

How this will affect his work as the host of Big Brother Mzansi, we’ll have to wait and see. A significant part of his role is to act as a conduit between the audience and the Housemates, probing them for explanations to some of their behaviour, which – let’s face it – can range from somewhat hilarious to downright shocking. We’re sure we’ll see some of his personal feelings – as well as his professionalism – come to bear during his time as host of the biggest voyeuristic exercise in the country.

Big Brother Mzansi season 3 will start airing on 23 January 2022 on DStv Channel 161 Mzansi Magic and the 24-hour broadcast channel 198. Big Brother Mzansi will be available on DStv Compact, DStv Compact Plus and DStv Premium only.