Popular South African YouTuber and media personality Lasizwe Dambuza has reportedly ended his partnership with broadcasting giant MultiChoice. The split comes after ongoing drama surrounding his YouTube show Awkward Dates, which was recently picked up by DStv for a Saturday night TV slot.
In March, MultiChoice announced that Dambuza was one of eight content creators they were partnering with to bring fresh, youthful content to their channels. His show Awkward Dates, which features Lasizwe interviewing guests about their most uncomfortable dating experiences, began airing on DStv in April. The show had already found success on YouTube and was even nominated for a SA Film and Television Award. But things quickly took a turn.
According to City Press, sources close to the situation say Awkward Dates will be removed from DStv soon. This comes after some guests featured on the show complained that they were not informed their interviews would be aired on television. These guests claimed they had only agreed to be featured on YouTube and social media—not mainstream TV—and reportedly expected payment for the televised episodes.
An insider said the controversy pushed Lasizwe to step away from the deal. “When the drama started, Lasizwe panicked and voluntarily decided to end his contract with MultiChoice. He has been open about his mental health issues, so when the drama happened, he chose his peace,” the source said.
“He could have chosen to ignore the drama and let it die down because he had done things right contractually, but he just wanted out.”
Another source claimed that while Lasizwe had followed the correct process and signed all the right documents, the public outcry—especially from the guests—was too much to handle.
“There was almost a dark cloud because every time an episode would air, someone would contact MultiChoice to say they didn’t know their episode would be on TV. Because of that friction, all parties decided it was not worth it and parted ways. The separation was mutual,” said the insider.
The source added that many of the guests weren’t paid for their appearances and had only signed forms for the YouTube version of the show. When the show moved to TV, some guests felt tricked.
“They thought Lasizwe and his team always planned to sell the show. These influencers know each other and talk behind the scenes, so things were going to get even more complicated.”
One of the guests, content creator Dominic Zaca, was very vocal about his complaints. Zaca took to social media to call out Lasizwe and his team, accusing them of breaking both written and verbal agreements. His episode was the first to air on Mzansi Magic.
“What I understand is that you guys breached a verbal contract. You breached a written contract,” said Zaca.
“I don’t know what contract you gave to MultiChoice because I would think MultiChoice would not air my episode knowing full well that I did not sign that contract in full agreement.”
Zaca also claimed that his team tried to resolve the issue privately, but were ignored, which led him to take the matter public. “They pushed us from pillar to post,” he said.
Despite the drama, sources say Lasizwe is taking the situation in stride and is choosing to focus on his mental health. He is expected to continue creating content for his YouTube channel and will reportedly be working on new episodes of Awkward Dates—just not for TV.
The split between Lasizwe and MultiChoice appears to have been a tough but mutual decision, with both sides agreeing that continuing the partnership would only lead to more problems.
