Doom, no gloom, in showman's social media world

11 January 2017 - 09:18 By SHENAAZ JAMAL
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After being blown off at countless auditions for roles on television and theatre from the tender age of seven, internet sensation Thulasizwe Dambusa has finally claimed his fame.

"I was really tired of going to auditions," Dambusa, known on social media as Lasizwe, said.

So he researched popular vloggers to see what would attract views and followers and began posting skits on to his social media profiles.

"In no time my followers grew," he said.

Born and raised in Pimville, Soweto, the 18-year-old's breakthrough came in 2014 with a meme of Adele's hit Hello.

Now with close to 140,000 followers on Facebook and Instagram, Dambusa and his three alter egos - Dimima, Candy and Stacy - tackle cultural and racial stereotypes in his vlog.

In a popular video, which garnered 900,000 views on Facebook alone, Dambusa takes a swipe at the infamous pastor who sprayed Doom insecticide on his congregants.

In it he threatened "doom" to anyone who brought negativity into his life.

"There comes a point where I am going to cut out negative people. If you are going to be that negative person in my life ek sal doom jou," he says theatrically.

"I was attacked emotionally a lot in school because of my sexuality," said Dambusa, who is entertainment diva Khanyi Mbau's brother.

"I didn't want to ask her to help me because people would say I was Khanyi's brother and I didn't want that," said Dambusa, who completed Grade 12 last year.

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