Lasizwe. Picture: Instagram
Award-winning content creator Lasizwe recently sat down with DJ Sbu for an episode of “The Hustlers Corner”.
The two discussed a range of topics, including how Lasizwe entered the industry, watching his mother take her last breath and his philanthropic work which became his worst nightmare.
“I didn’t want to step into the industry as Khanyi (Mbau’s) brother. I really tried to pave something that one day I could say I did it on my own. And then being her brother could be something like a cherry on top,” he said.
Although Mbau played a huge role in his career, he embraced the fact that she allowed him to become his own entity.
Speaking about how the “R10 goes a long way” campaign began, he said, “It was during the ‘Fees Must Fall’ time, I was frustrated seeing students going online and voicing out their concerns and not being heard.”
He first thought that he would help one or two students get registered but things took a turn while he was on a Live one night
“I went on a Live, trying to figure out what to do with the R10 000 that I was willing to donate… friends and fans heard what I was doing and said let’s all do it together.
“When we finished off at 3am, we had R80 000 or R90 000 that we had contributed. When we woke up we were trending and everyone was like, ‘What can we do?’ We eventually raised 2 million in seven days.
He said that while the initiative was motivating and inspiring, it quickly went from a good dream into a bad one.
“People started showing their insecurities on the internet. The trolling, the insecurities of what we face with the government, people were being entitled.
“Because I am a public figure they started trolling me, saying I’m using the R2 million. Saying they saw me in Cape Town, asking, ‘Where’s the money?’
“That hurt me, I never went through that… It was a dark phase in my life, the trolling just became worse, at some point I just wanted to end this thing. I didn’t want to help people ever again.
“When I looked in the mirror I couldn’t even look at myself because I was started to believe what I was reading.”
However, something good came out of the bad.
“It was such a dark time but also a blessing in disguise. I was then exposed to the art of therapy, exposed to the art of really understanding who you are and being one with yourself,” he said.
The conversation continued with him opening up about watching his mother take her last breath.
“My mom had a heart attack in December (2016) in a barbershop. I was cutting my hair for my matric dance.
“She sat down on the couch, I was cutting my hair and looking back on the mirror and she collapsed. I saw her take her last breath,” he shared.
Watch interview.