Skhumba on his secret talent, what makes him laugh & the worst lie he's ever told

Since becoming one of the new voices of KayaFM’s morning breakfast show that he co-hosts with veteran broadcaster Thomas "Bad Boy T" Msengana, comedian-turned-radio presenter Skhumba Hlophe has certainly taken over the airwaves.

The dynamic radio duo started their hit breakfast show last month which has since seen them shake things up at the Afropolitan proud radio station.

While he’s popularly known for being controversial at times with his comments and jokes, the comedian-turned-radio presenter has gained a loyal following throughout the years.

With the success of his new breakfast show, we caught up with the funnyman to find out a bit more about him.

If you weren’t afraid, what would you do?

“I’d be a boxer but I’m afraid of getting beaten… I mean, have you ever felt the impact of a glove? That thing is painful!

“Another thing I’d do is skydive but what if that parachute doesn’t open, then what?”

Is there a secret talent you have people don’t know about?

 “I can read eyes. I can tell what a person is thinking by just making eye contact. No one can bullsh*t me joe! I can tell when someone is lying or playing games with me.

"In a conversation with someone, I can tell when I’m wasting my time or whether someone is wasting everyone’s time. Like, I’m really good at reading eyes.”

What’s the worst lie you ever told?

“I told my ex-girlfriend that I loved her when I truly didn’t. I was joking when I told her I loved her and I continued with that lie for five years.”

What always makes you laugh?

“Before my grandmother passed away, she used to make me laugh. My grandmother was the funniest person I’ve ever come across in my life and I’ve known her for 39 years, so you can imagine—it was 39 years of laughter.

“Besides that, what also makes me laugh is people pretending to be happy on social media. You guys are hilarious posting all these pictures on Instagram claiming you have money but you actually don’t. People are living a lie and it’s actually funny, really funny!”

Do you have a favourite thing to do before going to bed?

“I play with my 3-year-old son who thinks me and him are friends. He’ll come to my room at night and speak isiZulu, Afrikaans and English, but I can’t hear what he’s saying. I have even started calling him uBlack Coffee because uya mixer ama-languages. We often ask: 'uthini uBlack Coffee' when he speaks.”    

If you could pause any moment in your life, which moment would it be?

“It would be the day my firstborn son was born. My firstborn passed away when he was just nine weeks old. If I could, I would pause that moment and enjoy it!”  

What makes you grumpy?

“Lies and untrustworthy people. If I say to you ‘I trust you', I mean it! That means you should not take that for granted and if you do, it will really piss me off and would make me cut you off completely.”

What personal feature are you most insecure about?

“None! Listen here, let me tell you something you don’t understand. There’s nothing I am ashamed of about myself. I am not going to go and do plastic surgery to please people. I don’t really care what people think or say about me because I can’t really change how I look.

“What you feel about me or how I look, I can’t really change. I believe in being happy with what I have no matter how little it is or how ugly it may be to your eyes.”

What’s the one song you are embarrassed is in your playlist?

“Yoh! I’m embarrassed to even say that I love this song but it’s a song by Lukas Graham, 7 Years. My friends always judge me because they expect me to only love pantsula type songs.”

If you had one day left to live, how would you spend it?

“I would buy airtime and call everyone that I love and tell them how much I love them. I will also individually tell them where I’ve hidden my money and lie to them by saying they are the only ones who know where I’ve hidden my money.

“So, they will all go to my house only to find out that there’s no money! I don’t save my money, mina I spend my money every day! My children will have to work hard to make their own money!”