Big Brother Mzansi
- Date of launch: 2 February 2014
- Number of seasons: 3
- Number of episodes: 63 (season 1), 56 (season 2), 71 (season 3)
- Genre: Reality, competition
- Language: English, Afrikaans, Zulu, Xhosa, and others
- Country of origin: South Africa
Big Brother Mzansi is a South African reality TV show that follows the international Big Brother format. The show involves a group of strangers who live together in a house that is cut off from the outside world while being monitored by cameras and microphones around the clock. The housemates compete for a cash prize by avoiding weekly evictions, which are based on public votes and other twists.
Cast and awards
The show has had five different hosts over its five seasons. Lungile Radu hosted the first season, while Thando Thabethe and Lungile Radu co-hosted the second season. Lawrence Maleka hosted the third and fourth seasons. Smash Afrika hosted the fifth season.
The winners of each season are as follows:
- Season one (2014): Mandla Hlatshwayo
- Season two (2015): Ntombi Tshabalala and Ace Khumalo
- Season three (2022): Mphowabadimo Mthombeni
- Season four (2024): Siphephelo "McJunior" Zondi
- Season five (2025): Sweet Guluva
Seasons
The show has been one of the most popular and controversial shows on South African television, attracting millions of viewers and sparking debates on social media. The show has also faced some controversies, such as sexual assault allegations, racism accusations, and legal disputes.
Season 1: Premiered on 2 February 2014 and concluded on 6 April 2014.
Season 2: Premiered on 22 March 2015 and concluded on 18 May 2015.
Season 3: Premiered on 23 January 2022 and concluded on 3 April 2022.
Season 4: Premiered on 21 January 2024 and concluded on 31 March 2024.
Season 5 (Umlilo): Premiered on 12 January 2025 and concluded on 23 March 2025.
Main characters and actors
The main characters of the show are the housemates who participate in each season. Here are some details on the main characters and actors of the third season:
- Mphowabadimo Mthombeni: She is a makeup artist and adult content creator from Johannesburg. She entered the house with her boyfriend, Gash1. She won the third season with 36.45% of the final vote.
- Gashwan Brandon Mthombeni: He is a tattoo artist from Johannesburg. He is also known as Gash1 or Gashy. He entered the house with his girlfriend, Mphowabadimo. He was the runner-up of the third season with 28.67% of the final vote.
- Themba Karabo Mabaso: He is a salesperson, personal trainer, and IT graduate from King William’s Town. He is also known as Themba or TK. He entered the house with his best friend, Libo. He was evicted in week nine with 9.87% of the vote.
- Libo Njomba: He is a radio DJ, voice-over artist, and actor from East London. He is also known as Libo or Libz. He entered the house with his best friend, Themba. He was evicted in week eight with 6.34% of the vote.
- Nokuthula Nkosi: She is a nurse and model from Durban. She is also known as Nokuthula or Noku. She entered the house as a solo player. She was evicted in week 10 with 10.23% of the vote
- Siphephelo "McJunior" Zondi: He is a content creator and model from KwaZulu-Natal. He was the winner of the fourth season.
- Tshepo "Makhekhe" Tau: He is a musician and entertainer from Limpopo. He was the runner-up of the fourth season.
- Sweet Guluva: He is a businessman and reality TV star from Johannesburg. He was the winner of the fifth season (Umlilo).
- Paballo "Papa Ghost" Mhlongo: He is a musician and content creator from Pretoria. He was the runner-up of the fifth season (Umlilo).
