Siphiwo
NzawumbiKnown as Spitch Nzawumbi
Spitch Nzawumbi is a South African TV and radio presenter, trained broadcast journalist and the founder of the food and hosting brand Mastandi. Born Siphiwo Nzawumbi, he became a familiar voice on SABC’s Umhlobo Wenene FM, worked in government communications, and in 2024 hosted season two of the Showmax series Unfollowed. He now splits his time between a marketing job in Dubai and his growing Mastandi business back home.
| Date of Birth | October 25, 1989 |
|---|---|
| Age | 37 years |
| Nationality | South African |
| Zodiac Sign | Scorpio |
| Occupation | Radio and TV Presenter |
Kevin Michael RichardsonSpitch Nzawumbi Biography
Spitch was born Siphiwo Nzawumbi on October 25, 1989, in Mthatha in South Africa’s Eastern Cape, and he grew up around Mount Frere. He turned 37 on October 25, 2026, and marked the day on Instagram with a post titled “Hello Chapter 37”. He is proudly Xhosa. “I am Xhosa through and through,” he told The Herald in April 2024.
He lost both of his parents as a child. Speaking on Something Nice with Dinano in February 2021, he said his mother moved to Port Elizabeth for work and died there in 1997. He and his older brother were then raised by their maternal grandparents. He credits his grandmother, a natural storyteller, with his love of conversation and stories.
His birthday post in 2026 returned to that loss. “Today, I celebrate my parents, whom I have sadly outlived, but whose love, values and upbringing continue to live through me,” he wrote. He also thanked “the village that raised me” and an adoptive family that took him in.
Spitch attended Mount Frere High School, where teachers pushed him into debating and public speaking in Grade 10. He finished matric at 17 and moved to East London to study broadcast journalism at Walter Sisulu University (WSU). There, he started as a news reader on the campus radio station before getting his own show. He later completed a BTech in journalism.
Career
Spitch’s first newsroom job came in 2010, when he was a junior on an internship in Johannesburg. In 2012, a week before his graduation, he landed a communications post he had been told needed three to five years of experience. He told the Engineer Your Life podcast in August 2022 that he was a communications officer in Parliament at 22.
Television followed at 24. He became a host of the SABC 1 consumer rights show Yilungelo Lakho and also read the news on Radio 2000. In 2017 he joined SABC’s Xhosa station Umhlobo Wenene FM and hosted his show from the broadcaster’s Cape Town studios. “The loyalty of the listeners is definitely more than I ever expected,” he told The Herald in December 2019. In 2017 he also co-founded the Black Twitter Awards.
Spitch later moved from Cape Town back to Gauteng and returned to government communications. He became director of communications and marketing at the Department of Communications and Digital Technologies. On Engineer Your Life, he rejected claims that it was a political appointment. He said he applied like everybody else and went through a public interview process.
In 2024 he left South Africa for Dubai, where he became head of marketing for a multinational property group. “Dubai real estate is at its absolute boom and I get to be a part of it all,” he told The Herald in April 2024. Later that year, Showmax named him host of Unfollowed season two, a series on cancel culture that premiered on November 27, 2024. He took over from Thembekile Mrototo and interviewed guests including Mel Viljoen, Pastor Mboro, Ngizwe Mchunu and Bujy Bikwa. “It takes a special skill to get a guest that walks on set expecting to be attacked, to open up to you,” he told Daily News.
Dubai made news for a different reason in March 2026. Spitch was among the South Africans caught there during the US, Israel and Iran conflict. Speaking to SABC News on March 3, 2026, he said the South African embassy had been in touch and that the city felt quieter that morning after days of missile and drone alerts.
Mastandi Business
Mastandi is Spitch’s food and hosting brand, and many fans also call him by that name. He started it around 2019. “When I started Mastandi seven years ago, it was simply an expression of two things I have always loved: cooking and hosting,” he wrote on Instagram on October 9, 2026. He said the cooking began in his grandmother’s kitchen and the hosting began with harvest tables and Christmas dinners in his Pretoria backyard.
The brand’s biggest booking so far is the Mastandi Lounge at the Berlin November festival in the Eastern Cape, set for November 28, 2026. He announced it on October 15, 2026, calling it the first culinary experience lounge at the event.
Controversies and Disputes
In March 2022, Spitch went public about a TV producer who offered him a show for what he called “crumbs”. He turned it down and told producers and agencies to check his worth before calling. “I am no longer that child who could be easily exploited,” he wrote, according to Sunday World on March 29, 2022.
A month later, in April 2022, he spoke up in the row over Lasizwe’s Grammys spoof video, which critics said mocked Black women. According to IOL, Spitch defended the YouTuber from the pile-on and asked people to teach him instead of attacking him, while urging Lasizwe to rethink how he portrayed Black mothers.
Awards and Nominations
Spitch was nominated for Favourite Radio Personality at the DStv Mzansi Viewers’ Choice Awards, with the nomination announced in December 2019. The Herald reported it was his first broadcast nomination, after earlier awards in communications.
Personal Life
Spitch keeps his romantic life off the record. He has not named a partner in public or spoken about his sexual orientation, and that is his story to tell. What he does share is family, faith, food and fitness.
In August 2023, his TikTok video of a weight-loss journey from January to August drew about 283,000 views in a day, Briefly News reported. He loves fragrances, sci-fi and travel, and he named Siargao in the Philippines as his favourite holiday spot in his 2024 interview with The Herald. His Instagram bio also lists an MBA and describes him as a budding author.
Spitch Nzawumbi Net Worth
Spitch’s money comes from several places at once. He earns a corporate salary as a marketing head in Dubai, fees from TV hosting such as Unfollowed, and income from Mastandi’s catering and events. Before that, he drew salaries from the SABC and from his government communications posts.
His exact net worth has not been made public. With a senior corporate job and a food business moving into big festival bookings, his earnings look set to keep growing.
Frequently Asked Questions
How old is Spitch Nzawumbi?
Spitch Nzawumbi is 37. He was born on October 25, 1989, and celebrated turning 37 on October 25, 2026.
What is Spitch Nzawumbi’s real name?
His real name is Siphiwo Nzawumbi. Spitch is his nickname, and many fans also call him Mastandi after his business.
Is Spitch Nzawumbi gay?
Spitch has never spoken publicly about his sexual orientation or named a partner. It is a private matter that only he can speak to.
Where does Spitch Nzawumbi work now?
He works in Dubai as head of marketing for a property group and runs Mastandi, his catering and hosting brand, in South Africa.
Which show did Spitch Nzawumbi host on Showmax?
He hosted season two of Unfollowed, a Showmax Original about cancel culture, which premiered on November 27, 2024.
