Somizi Mhlongo

Somizi Mhlongo is a television and radio personality, an actor, choreographer and singer famously known as a judge on the ‘Idols SA’. He became popular after appearing in the hit political and musical hit film ‘Sarafina’ which features Whoopi Goldberg and other prominent celebrity actors.

Somizi has been featured as the lead choreographer for several events and shows, including the opening and closing of the 2010 FIFA World Cup and 2013 Africa Cup of Nations. He is currently married to his gay partner, Mohale Motaung.

Full Name	Somizi Buyani Mhlongo-Motaung
Date of Birth	23 Dec 1972
Nationality	South Africa
Place of Birth	Soweto
Occupation	Actor,TV Host
Parents	Mary Twala and Ndaba Mhlongo
Children	1
Spouse	Mohale Tebogo Motaung
Net Worth	$5 million
Social Media Handle	Instagram: somizi Twitter: @SomiziDaily

Early Life and Education

Somizi Buyani Mhlongo-Motaung was born on 23 December 1972 in Soweto to the popular South African actress Mary Twala and actor Ndaba Mhlongo. He was groomed by his parents who were at the prime of their careers at that time. Through his parent’s influence, he became exposed to the entertainment industry at the age of 13.

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This helped Somizi thrive well in the industry, landing his first acting role at the age of 13 in the movie ‘Scavengers’. He had one brother named “Archie”, who was fatally stabbed in 1985. However, Somizi doesn’t have many educational records and that is because he spent most of his life on the acting set.

Career

Somizi’s multi-faceted entertainment career started off at the age of 13. He made his debut movie in 1987’s Scavengers before he appeared in the musical and political film, Sarafina, playing the role of ‘Whacko’ in 1992.

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He also appeared in other movies and TV series, including Kein Himmel uber Afrika (1993), Tarzan; The Epic Adventure (1996), Cry and The Beloved Country (1995). His biggest role so far was when he was appointed as the new judge for the 11th season of Idols, South Africa. He was also a lead judge on the former SABC competition show Dance Your Butt Off alongside Khabonina Qubeka.

Mhlongo premiered his reality series, Living the Dream with Somizi, in 2016, and it aired on Mzansi Magic. Other TV appearances of Somizi include 10 over 10, Ayeye and City Ses’la. B Somizi also co-hosted the South African Music Awards for three years in a row while hosting other award ceremonies (2016, 2017 and 2018).

As of April 3, 2017, Mhlongo co-hosted The Fresh Breakfast Show on Metro FM with DJ Fresh, the show’s principal host, and soccer presenter Mpho Letsholonyane. On March 30, 2019, it was announced that Relebogile Mabotja would take his place as the station reshuffled. Somizi was then promoted to co-host #TheBridge, the show that took over The Fresh Breakfast Show’s time slot and was slated to air immediately after.

Apart from being an actor, TV and radio host, Somizi was also exposed to many endorsements. He was appointed the ambassador for Dstv in 2017 due to his fame in the reality show Idols South Africa and later got endorsed as the face of the Department of Water and Sanitation that same year.

Personal Life

Somizi Mhlongo was once in a relationship with the actress Palesa Madisakwane, while he was dating an unnamed man. Eventually, he came out as bisexual but has a son from his relationship with Madisakwane, Bahumi Madisakwane, on 19 February 1995.

For years, Somizi kept his relationship private. However, in 2017, it was rumoured that he was dating the South African model and entrepreneur Mohale Tebogo Motaung. Somizi and his boyfriend confirmed these rumours in 2018 and had their proposal while on a vacation in Paris. On 28 September 2019, they had their traditional wedding and on the 30th January 2020; they celebrated their wedding.

Filmography

Film

Year	Title	Role

1986	Scavengers	Jeffery
1992	Sarafina!	Fire
1994	Kien Hiüber Afrika	Himself
1995	Cry, the Beloved Country	Young Thief
2006	Black Beulahs	Himself

Televison

Africa Skies -1993
Tarzan: The Epic Adventures – 1996
Zero Tolerance – 2004
City Ses’la – 2007
Dance Your Butt Off- 2010–2012
10 over 10 – 2013-2016
Zaziwa – 2013
The Comedy Central Roast of Kenny Kunene-2014
Reality Check – 2014
aYeYe-2015
Idols South Africa- 2015-present
All That BS-2015
South Africa film and Television Awards- 2016-2918
Living the dream with Somizi
22nd South Africa Music Awards- 2016
23rd South African Music Awards- 2017
V Entertainment- 2017-present
The Comedy Central Roast of Somizi- 2018
24th South African Music Awards-2018
Tropika Smooth Fan-2018
Global Citizen Festival;Mandela 100
1st KZN Entertainment Awards- 2020

Somizi Mhlongo Net Worth

Somizi has an estimated net worth of $5 million. He gathered all his wealth from working as a radio and television personality, choreographer and an actor. He is also regarded to be one of the top celebrities in South African.