Get ready to be rocked, shocked and ‘siv-ilised’
SIV Ngesi is set to premiere his new comedy show Siv-ilised at the Baxter Theatre and comedy fans will get to know more about the controversial comedian.
One of South Africa’s most outspoken comedians is getting ready to return to the stage for the first time in four years with his new oneman show. Known for his outspoken nature, he is never afraid to speak his mind and ruffle feather.
Siv-ilised will see the comedian open up about things he learnt from his mother. He will also be looking at his personal life and telling stories from his travels across the world.
While Ngesi is a very vocal person, he took a four-year break from the comedy scene. “I think what happened was after Strictly Come Dancing presenting just took over my life,” he says. Now Ngesi is ready to hit the stage again and happy he took a break.
Even though he left comedy, he has been very busy. During the recent Grahamstown National Arts Festival, Ngesi produced a staggering 14 shows. “A ‘lot’ of shows is an understatement,” he says. “I needed to challenge myself and I needed to give people opportunities I was given.”
Ngesi won several awards, including the coveted Spirit of the Festival.
On social media, Ngesi is also known for being very argumentative. Speaking on why he thinks people attack him, he says simply: “people are little b*tchs”.
Elaborating, he says people are afraid of the truth and he constantly tells people how he feels.
“And if it offends you, you should take a look at why it offends you,” he says.
However, he does not think he is always right and says if he did, it would be naive. He adds that when he is wrong he will step back for a moment to assess his perspective. Ngesi also feels that people underestimate his intelligence.
“I’m a very smart man, and smart humans know how to pick their battles,” says Ngesi. There are times, though, when he his aim is to stir the pot and be devil’s advocate.
He adds that there is usually some truth in what he is saying and that is what is off-putting to people.
“One of the biggest criticisms of the presenting jobs in South Africa is that we recycle and reuse the same people for everything in this country. This then spawned the ‘Open up the Industry’ movement.”
Ngesi feels that even though there should more opportunities for new talent, he will not “say no to a job to open up the industry for you”.
He adds that the reason people are drawn to him is his authenticity.
Furthermore, Ngesi feels that in South Africa “we have socialites and no celebrities”.
He also identifies as a socialite and an influencer and is not afraid to say sorry when he is wrong.
He says that some people are “trying too hard”.
The star has been travelling a lot recently with his television show Wingin’ It with his BFF Janez Vermeiren. And he says he is thankful for getting paid to see the world and that travelling should be compulsory. Through his travels, he has learnt a lot about himself and the world.
Ngesi reveals that Vermeiren was the person who gave him his first break, and since the first time they worked together they have been besties.
When his show ends, the comedian is not stopping to smell the roses. He plans to travel more, has a new show is in the works, and will be co-presenting on The Man Cave and taking Siv-ilised across the country.
Siv-ilised is running at the Baxter Theatre until October 14 with tickets available at Computicket for R120.