Mthawelanga "Tats" Nkonzo (born 19 March 1985) is a South African stand-up comedian, singer, and television personality. He is best known as the host of the e.tv reality competition SA's Got Talent. He was also a co-host on Uyangithanda na?.[1][2]

Tats Nkonzo
Born
Mthawelanga Nkonzo

(1985-03-19) 19 March 1985 (age 39)
Mdantsane, South Africa
Occupations
  • Comedian
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • television presenter
Years active2005–present
Comedy career
Medium
Genres

Career

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Nkonzo is known for his musical segments on the fourth season of the eNCA's satirical news show Late Nite News with Loyiso Gola, in 2012. He was a Top 24 finalist in the third season of the M-Net reality competition Idols, in 2005.[3][4][5]

In 2008, Nkonzo got his big break when he made the Top 8 of the SABC1 reality competition So You Think You're Funny!. Once the show ended, he was asked to tour with the Top 3 from the season. Nkonzo performed at Cape Town's Baxter Theatre, Johannesburg's The Market Theatre and the Pieter Torien Theatre (Monte Casino). He was the opening act for Nik Rabinowitz in Nik's one-man shows You Can't Be Serious and Stand and Deliver.[6][7]

He opened for Loyiso Gola at the Teatro at Monte Casino for Loyiso's one-man show, Life and Times. Based on the content of Nkonzo's material on stage, CNN's African Voices profiled him offering an opportunity to speak about South Africa and how stand-up comedy fits in the bigger picture of nation building.[8][9]

After three years of stage performances, Nkonzo performed his debut one-man show, Can't Tats This, in his East London home town. He appeared in the first Blacks Only DVD after performing as part of an ensemble line-up at Lyric Theatre.[10]

Nkonzo received the BlackBerry Breakthrough Act Award at the 2nd Annual South African Comics Choice Awards, in 2012.[11][12] In the same year he took over from Rob van Vuuren and Anele Mdoda as sole host of SA's Got Talent. He was the seventh host of the Comedy Central series Comedy Central Presents... Live at Parker's, in 2012. In 2014, he was one a team captain of the e.tv game show I Love South Africa. In 2015, he was the co-host (with Kenneth Nkosi) of the Mzansi Magic game show Give Me That Bill Mzansi.[13]

References

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  1. ^ "Chit Chat: Tats Nkonzo". www.news24.com. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  2. ^ "10 Facts You Didn't Know About Tats Nkonzo". www.mytvnews.co.za. Retrieved 5 January 2018.
  3. ^ "Tats Nkonzo - Parkers Comedy and Jive". parkerscomedy.com. Archived from the original on 6 January 2018.
  4. ^ "Book tickets for Comedy on Long presents Tats Nkonzo".
  5. ^ "10 Things You Didn't Know About Tats". 4 October 2014.
  6. ^ "Tats Nkonzo - Comedian/Entertainer – Conference Speakers". www.conferencespeakers.co.za. Archived from the original on 6 January 2018.
  7. ^ "Tats Nkonzo – ERM Corporate".
  8. ^ "Becoming a comedian with a message - CNN Video".
  9. ^ "Race, polygamy and politics: S. African comic duo stir up stereotypes".
  10. ^ "6 Interesting things about the Double-Up Mzansi Style hosts | Beatlab.TV". beatlab.etv.co.za. Archived from the original on 6 January 2018.
  11. ^ Zenoyise, John (12 July 2012). "And the winner of the Comic ' s Choice is…". The Sowetan. Archived from the original on 6 January 2018. Retrieved 31 July 2023 – via PressReader.
  12. ^ "Tats Nkonzo | e.tv". www.etv.co.za. Archived from the original on 24 March 2015.
  13. ^ "Tats Nkonzo". www.tvsa.co.za. Retrieved 22 June 2015.