The pair are among the comedians selected for Savanna Serves Bafunny Bafunny: South Africa's Festival of Comedy, led by Trevor Noah.
Comedians Thabiso Mhlongo and Mbali Gudazi. Pictures: Supplied
For Thabiso Mhlongo and Mbali Gudazi, comedy started long before either of them knew it could lead to a place on South Africa’s “National Team of Comedy”.
Now, the two comedians are among the local talent selected for Savanna Serves Bafunny Bafunny: South Africa’s Festival of Comedy, a national arena tour led by Trevor Noah.
The festival opens at SunBet Arena in Pretoria on 4 and 5 September before heading to Suncoast in Durban on 19 September and GrandWest in Cape Town on 25 and 26 September.
They will share the stage with Eugene Khoza, Lindy Johnson, Panch Gasela and international comedian Learnmore Jonasi.
The Citizen caught up with Mhlongo and Gudazi ahead of the show to discuss their journeys into comedy and what the national team selection means for their careers.
Finding comedy
Mhlongo’s entry into comedy began with a fascination with laughter.
His high-school friend Thokozani Dhlongolo introduced him to stand-up comedy, sparking an interest that would eventually become a career.
“I think what first drew me to comedy was the laughter,” Mhlongo said.
“I remember thinking, ‘that’s so cool’. People gathering just to laugh together was mind-blowing to me.”
What began as an appreciation for the art form gradually turned into a career. Mhlongo said he is still learning what it takes to make comedy work as a business.
He said his first work flight came through a Savanna gig, an opportunity he initially thought would be a once-off.
“I think I’m only now starting to realise that I can actually make a career out of this,” he said.
“Things are getting serious now from a business perspective, so I’m learning the business side of things too,” he said.
When he found out he would be part of the Savanna Serves Bafunny Bafunny line-up, Mhlongo said the news brought a sense of validation.
“Honestly, my first reaction was, ‘how much are we making?'” he joked.
“Just being recognised as ‘national team’ material feels good. It’s like I get to play for Real Madrid and Brazil; it feels special!”
‘It was like a dream’
For Gudazi, performing alongside Noah is the fulfilment of a goal she had set for herself.
“Before this, my goal was to perform with Trevor Noah,” she said. “Now it has happened.”
She said receiving the call-up felt surreal.
“You know when something happens, and you were thinking maybe it’s going to happen in a few years. So now you are startled. It’s how I felt when I received the call. It was like a dream,” she said.
Becoming a stand-up comedian, however, was not initially part of Gudazi’s plans.
She said her boss suggested the idea after noticing how often she entertained colleagues at work.
Gudazi also said she grew up watching sitcoms like Family Matters and S’Gudi Snaysi, which fired up her love for humour. She later discovered stand-up comedy through comedians such as Chris Rock and Noah.
She said she initially questioned whether the humour that came naturally in the workplace would translate to a comedy stage.
Her experience eventually led her to pursue stand-up more seriously.
Now, Gudazi wants to continue developing her career. Her plans include recording a one-woman show, performing more, becoming involved in comedy skits and exploring opportunities in comedy films.
