Controversy forces Lasizwe Dambuza and MultiChoice to split and take Awkward Dates off air
Dambuza allegedly prioritised his mental health and chose to end the contract to avoid further stress and drama.
Following the separation, Dambuza is focusing on his YouTube content, working on more episodes for his show Awkward Dates.
South African social media personality and prolific YouTuber Lasizwe Dambuza has cut ties with MultiChoice. The separation comes after the broadcaster parted ways with Macgyver 'MacG' Mukwevho last month following his controversial and unsavoury comments about media personality Minnie Dlamini on his Podcast and Chill programme.
While one source claims Dambuza chose to leave, another source suggests MultiChoice decided to terminate their partnership.
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A post shared by Lasizwe (@lasizwe)
In March, Dambuza was one of eight content creators and podcasters announced to have partnered with MultiChoice to bring a fresh wave of energy to DStv channels. The partnership aimed to create programming with content that resonated with the youth.
The 26-year-old's YouTube show, Awkward Dates, took over the 9pm slot on Saturdays, starting in April. However, things didn't go as planned for the show, which was nominated for an SA Film and Television Award.
Sources close to the matter have informed City Press that Awkward Dates will soon be removed from DStv. This decision reportedly follows the claim that some guests demanded to be paid.
According to insiders, these guests claim they only agreed to appear on YouTube and other social media platforms, not mainstream TV. This situation allegedly forced Dambuza and MultiChoice to terminate their contract to avoid further conflict.
A source said Dambuza decided to cut ties.
'When the drama started, Lasizwe panicked and voluntarily decided to end his contract with MultiChoice. He has been open about his mental health issues, so when the drama happened, he chose his peace. He could have chosen to ignore the drama and let it die down because he had done things right contractually, but he just wanted out,' said the source.
The source claimed that Dambuza had all his ducks in a row, but it was a pity that the noise from his guests was too loud to ignore.
Another insider said when Awkward Dates landed the television deal it attracted negativity on social media, as some guests thought that Dambuza made more money on TV than he did on YouTube. Broadcasters don't respond well to negativity, said the insider.
There was almost a dark cloud because every time an episode would air, someone would contact MultiChoice to say they did not know that their episode would be on TV. Because of that friction, all parties decided it was not worth it and parted ways. The separation was mutual.
Source
The source added: 'There were conversations between Lasizwe and MultiChoice, but, because the issue could not be resolved with the guests, [they had to let it go]. Even if Lasizwe wanted to continue, it's not like he had resolved the issue.'
According to the source's understanding, the guests were not paid for their appearances in the YouTube episodes, and they signed release forms only for their episodes to air on that platform, but Awkward Dates was licensed by MultiChoice.
Some of the guests felt cheated and tricked, said the source.
'They thought that Lasizwe and his team knew that the show was not going to only be online. They thought that Lasizwe always had plans to sell it. These influencers know each other, and they are friends; they were going to influence one another behind the scenes, so it was going to be tricky.'
City Press understands that Dambuza welcomed the separation and was going to focus on his mental health and work on more episodes for YouTube.
Public confrontation
Content creator Dominic Zaca was among the most vocal critics, taking their concerns to social media. Zaca called out Dambuza and his team for allegedly contravening contracts. Zaca's episode aired in June last year on Dambuza's channel and was reportedly the first to air on Mzansi Magic in April.
The content creator went on to claim that Dambuza and his team knew his worth and that was why his episode was the first they aired as soon as they got an opportunity to be on TV.
Zaca said they tried resolving the matter with Dambuza and his team, but they pushed them from pillar to post. Zaca said they decided to take the matter to social media because they were ignored privately.
'What I understand [is that] you guys breached a verbal contract. You breached a written contract. And I don't know what contract you gave to MultiChoice because I would think that MultiChoice would not air my episode knowing full well that I did not sign that contract in full agreement,' said Zaca.
The content creator continued, saying that Dambuza's personal assistant acknowledged that they went against the contract, apologised and promised to fix things.
Zaca said that, after that promise, the personal assistant began to dodge them.
So, between the production company and MultiChoice, who is keeping my money and not giving me my money? Who is withholding the apology that I rightfully deserve? Who between the three stakeholders involved in this thing decided that, no, let's go against the contract we signed with Dominic and the verbal [agreement] we have and air the episode?
Dominic Zaca
When asked for comment, MultiChoice said: 'MultiChoice has licensed a slate of podcasts from Leading Edge Growth. While MultiChoice reserves the right to review all content in line with its editorial policy, Leading Edge Growth is responsible for curating the podcast slate, taking into account audience dynamics and content demand.'
Dambuza asked to be sent questions, but he had not replied by the time of publication.
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