Trevor Noah handpicks Limpopo comedienne Noko Moswete

“It took Trevor [Noah] from America to say, ‘Guys, there’s Noko Moswete, why are you sleeping on this woman?’” says the comedienne – although the Comics’ Choice juries who shortlisted her for best newcomer in 2015 and best intermediate in 2017 may argue they spotted her first.

Moswete is among 13 South African comedians chosen by Noah to appear on Trevor Noah Presents NationWild, his new, 13-part comedy showcase exclusive to Showmax.

She describes getting invited on to the show as “the most beautiful day in my life after I broke my virginity. I’m joking; breaking your virginity is painful.”

She knew something was up when someone who had an @trevornoah email address contacted her, asking for her profile and pictures. “I was shocked. I know @gmail, @hotmail and @yahoo, but @trevornoah? I thought, ‘Something will give here.’”

Each episode of Trevor Noah Presents Nationwild features a short introductory set by Noah as the host and an interview with the featured comedian about their road to success, followed by the comedian’s set.

“In each episode, we’re going to meet some of the brightest emerging comedians in Mzansi,” says Noah.  

That certainly describes Moswete, a Tshwane University of Technology graduate with a national diploma in linguistics who hails from Tibanefontein in Ga-Matlala, Limpopo.

Whether she’s teasing Tsongas who pray in English, wondering why her ancestors picked a pig for their clan name animal, or pointing out common South African tautologies (that's when you use two words that mean the same thing, for everyone without a linguistics degree), Moswete’s always funny - and always honest. “Everything I say on stage, it’s not a joke for me,” she says. “It’s my real, true opinions.”

She went outside her comfort zone to prepare for her set with Noah. “Most of the time, I perform for my people - black people - and I perform in my language, Pedi,” she says.

“For Trevor Noah Presents NationWild, I challenged myself to translate my vernac set into English. I have an English set I safely perform for English venues but I wanted to give them my vernac set, me at my best, unfiltered.”

Moswete has always made people laugh, but she realised she could turn it into a career when her principal called her into his office while she was lecturing at a further education and training (FET) college.

“He said, ‘Noko, you are in trouble. Your colleagues are saying your students are always laughing in class. Are you teaching them or performing comedy?’ I said, ‘Performing comedy, but I’m teaching them.’ Luckily, at an FET college, they write national exams, and although my students were laughing the whole time, they were passing the most. I was using humour to teach them.”

In addition to stand-up, Moswete is a freelance copywriter at M&M Pictures, and she recently joined the world of acting. She keeps her growing fanbase in stitches with her videos as her alter ego Mokgaetji, whose videos are always shared on WhatsApp and Facebook.

Considering that Noah’s already given fellow African comedians like David Kibuuka and Loyiso Madinga regular work on The Daily Show, anything’s possible next for Moswete and the other stars of Trevor Noah Presents NationWild, including 2018 Comics’ Choice Next Level winner Phil de Lange and best newcomer winner Tsitsi Chiumya, as well as  2018 nominees Bongani Dube, Eric Jansen, Gilli Apter and Lindy Johnson, 2017 best intermediate nominee Tshireletso "Mo" Mothebe, and 2016 Comics’ Choice Breakthrough Comic Award winner Virgil Prins (aka Prins), not to forget rising stars Gavin Kelly, Keenan Cerff, Kraai du Toit and Mbu Msongwela.

Laugh your way through all 13 episodes of Trevor Noah Presents NationWild only on Showmax, then follow @Noko_most on Twitter and Instagram to make your timeline funnier.

This article was paid for by Showmax.