Meet Savanna Comic's Choice Award Nominee Using Only Vernac in Standup, Sjika Da Thirdborn

• Savanna will be celebrating South African comedians for the 13th year, and one category is especially dedicated to newcomers
• Sjika Da Thirdborn, the only isiZulu stand-up act nominated as Newcomer of the year in the Savana Comics' Choice awards
• Briefly News spoke to comedian Sjika Da Thirdborn, who opened up about his background in the township and how it coloured his place in the comedy world

Sjika Da Thirdborn is one of the latest standout talents recognised on South Africa's comedy scene, as Savanna continues to provide a vital platform for icons and rising stars to showcase their comedic talent. The comedian may be up for a major win in his career after landing a nomination in the 13th Savanna Comic's Choice Awards.

Speaking to Briefly News, Sjika Da Thirdborn opened up about the influences behind his comedy style that he delivers in isiZulu. As the only isiZulu stand-up act nominated for Newcomer of the Year at the 13th Savanna Comics' Choice Awards, Sjika Da Thirdborn is a testament to Savanna’s mission of fostering diverse, authentic voices.

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Briefly News sat down with Sjika Da Thirdborn, one of the five nominees for the Newcomer of the Year award. His name is inspired by his position as one of three siblings. Despite being a full-time comedian now, comedy was never really on his radar, as he grew up in a serious family. Sjika explained:

"No one is funny at home. We're serious. We don't joke. [We] take life [seriously]."

Savanna Comics' Choice Award nominee influenced by kasi

The Katlehong native shared that his path to comedy started as a trick by his friends, who took him to an open mic night without his knowledge. Sjika Da Thirdborn said he threw caution to the wind and took to the stage, and the night ended with him discovering a passion:

"I fell in love with it. It seemed like I found my soulmate ."

Sjika Da Thirdborn's township background was a perfect fit for his career choice, as he feels that growing up in his township makes a person smarter than average. He explained:

"If you are from Katlehong. by default you you are smart. I don’t know what why, I don’t know how, but it’s like that. We are considered as smart as town guys in East. "

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A look at Sjika's comedic career is a practical example of this inherent smartness Sjika speaks of, as it all depends on his wit, sharpened by being from Katlehong. His comedic style is characterised by clever wordplay and isiZulu puns, requiring the audience to pay full attention to catch his humour. Get a feel of Sjika's sense of Sjika's sese of humour below:

Sjika Da ThirdBorn explains comedy passion

Sjika used to identify as one of the "laziest people" he's ever met, because he noticed hard workers typically get used and discarded for their labour, so he chose so-called laziness.

"So, I saw that. Okay. Just getting there getting a mic, and making people laugh was one of the things I could do as a lazy person."

After starting standup, Sjika created Golgotha, a TikTok-famous character he plays and developed through his keen observations of the "interesting people" in his community. The character grew his social media following from 300 to almost 50,000 followers in a matter of months. Sjika emphasised he is still most proud of his stand-up comedy work, which earned him the Savanna Comic's Choice Award nomination:

"Golgotha is not my favourite... I don't find [him] near my standard, he's just another guy."

When will Savanna Comics' Choice Awards take place?

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Sjika Da Thirdborn will be one of five vying for the title of comedian of the year. The official awards will take place on 2 May 2026. He views the nomination as a "badge" of honour because it distinguishes him from his peers. As the only nominee in his category performing in his home language, Sjika is using the Savanna Comic's Choice Award nomination as an opportunity to prove that comedic talent "doesn't require just English" to resonate with an audience.

"The the one thing I love about being nominated is that among my peers, I'm the only one who was performing in vernacular .My nomination shows that no man being funny does not require any language. If you are funny, if you're funny."

He said that the nomination was confirmation that he is funny as a comedian who thrives on feedback, and it has been affirming to receive the confirmation among other comedians with Savanna's Comics' Choice award:

"I can now say I am funny because before then, I was just an upcoming standup performing wherever. So the world doesn't know I'm funny. But now they do!"

Speaking about his future, Sjika Da Thirdborn said he still wants to go even further. He is focused on building a personal legacy that transcends viral characters, explaining:

"Oh, a one-man I want to do my own show... when I do my own now, I create my own audience, people to fall in love with me so that if I'm going to stage, I'm going to have my own people".

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Celeste Ntuli walks away with Comedian of the Year award

Briefly News previously reported that Celeste Ntuli is beaming with joy after winning the prestigious Comedian of the Year Award at the 12th Savanna Comics Choice Comedy Awards held on Saturday, April 12, 2025.

The award wouldn’t have come at a better time, as Celeste Ntuli disclosed that she is celebrating 20 years as a comedian. The comedian was honoured at an awards ceremony held at The Lyric Theatre in Gold Reef City, Johannesburg.

An elated Celeste Ntuli took to her Instagram page after winning the Comedian of the Year Award at the 12th Savanna Comics Choice Comedy Awards.

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Source: Briefly News