The 2022 Jive Cape Town Funny Festival has found its newest comic sensation.
Dad of one, Nkosinathi Maki, beat 59 other hopefuls to the grand prize and says he is amped to tell jokes on the platform most comics only dream of.
The Jive Cape Town Funny Festival officially kicked off last week with a stellar line-up including veteran comedian Alan Commitie, as well as Sifiso Nene, Tats Nkonzo and the UK’s Graeme Matthews.
Lavender Hill comic Arlene Petersen, Ismail Moses and Japanese comedian Yosuke Ikeda are also on the line-up of the festival running until 3 July.
Nkosinathi, 39, from Gugulethu, says he spent 10 years working on his craft and finally got his big break.
Besides performing at the festival, he also won R5 000 cash, a laptop and data contract from MTN, and a R3 000 voucher from Canal Walk.
After four weeks of tough competition, Nkosinathi was judged the best on 4 June.
“I’ve always enjoyed stand-up comedy but Trevor Noah’s The Day Walker made me think that I could do it. It made it possible.”
He entered twice before: “I guess it’s third time lucky. The strategy was simple. I must be undeniable.”
The website designer by day says the big challenge lies ahead with show nights: “I’ve learnt that confidence yields bad results on stage. A little fear is good for a comedian.
“It’s a scary feeling, everyone is expecting me to be hilarious which can be hard.
“I think I’m funny on and off stage. My girlfriend is the only person who seems to be annoyed by my off-stage performances,” he jokes.
Check out Nkosinathi at the Jive Cape Town Comedy Festival at the Baxter Theatre.
Tickets cost R210 from Webtickets.
venecia.america@inl.co.za