Producer: Pamela Mnyaka

Written and performed by: Mbulelo Msongelwa

Comedian, MC and voice over artist Mbulelo Msongelwa was born in Mdantsane, a township just outside East London. He grew up in the coastal town of Port Elizabeth, which is where, at the age of 27, he was bitten by the comedy bug. It bit him so hard he quit his then furniture shop job to pursue his dream. Mbu very quickly made his name synonymous with stand-up in the Eastern Cape; as a regular on the 99% Xhosa Comedy stage and opening for the likes of Loyiso Gola. He has shared the stage with some of the country’s best comics including Skhumba Hlophe, TolAssMo, Celeste Ntuli, Donavan Goliath and many more.

Being able to perform comfortably in both English and isiXhosa is an added advantage to his repertoire. In 2016 he made the move to Johannesburg where on arrival he hosted Kedebone Malaudzi’s one-man show at the prestigious Soweto Theatre. The biggest notch on the comedian’s belt has to be being selected as one of 13 comedians to feature on Trevor Noah’s “Nationwild” series and performing to a sold-out Lyric Theatre. Mbu also recently hosted the live broadcast of Multi-Choice’s BayTV studio launch alongside the talented Zizo Tshwete.

In 2020 Mbulelo decided to take his comedy to another level and registered a business Stand Up Mbu Pty Ltd. The business has allowed Stand Up Mbu to create platforms for comedians especially in the Eastern Cape space. In July 2021 started a collective called Stand Up People. Here the shows collaborate with other art forms like poetry, live music and inhouse DJ’s. These shows have been done in PE, Mthatha, Queenstown and EL, with over 12 shows produced in this period. The shows are not just comedy but rather comedy lifestyle events. Stand Up Mbu has also done shows at the Nelson Mandela Bay Arts Festival and the National Arts Festival.