BY NELIWE NGUBANE
MBABANE – For years, the laughter came in pairs. Now, Darren Gamedze is learning what it means to make audiences laugh while standing on his own.
The comedian is beginning a new chapter of his career following the end of his creative partnership with Bongiswa Masondo, popularly known through their comedy brand Angisati Ngitsin. Darren recently opened up about the transition, revealing the emotional and professional uncertainty that followed the separation while also reflecting on the talent and experience he believes remain his to build on.
His story emerged during an hour-long interview on Banele WJLM’s podcast, which premiered on September 14, 2026.
The conversation has given audiences a closer look at what happens when an artist who became known as part of a successful comedy partnership suddenly has to redefine himself as an individual performer.
For Darren, the change was not simply about losing a comedy partner. It meant confronting questions about his own identity, his abilities and what his career could look like without the characters, performances and brand that audiences had come to associate with the two comedians.
Darren said he initially tried to save the partnership when he was informed that it was coming to an end.
He explained that he fought for Angisati Ngitsin to continue but eventually had to accept the decision. He also recalled telling his manager that he had been fired, only to later learn that the manager had also been fired.
The experience affected him emotionally.
Known for using humour to entertain audiences, Darren revealed that he cried during the period that followed, showing a more vulnerable side of an entertainer whose public identity has largely been built around making people laugh.
However, one piece of advice helped him begin looking at the situation differently.
Darren said he was reminded that although the partnership could be taken away, his talent could not.
That message has become particularly significant as he begins considering life beyond Angisati Ngitsin.
The duo had spent years building their audience through comedy skits based on everyday situations and memorable characters. Their digital content eventually developed into live performances, taking them beyond social media and onto stages in Eswatini and South Africa.
They performed alongside comedians including Sifiso Nene, Nonto R, Vusi Mongwe, Simphiwe Shembe and Abuti Lolo.
Their performances also reached Mpumalanga, where they appeared at the Ehlanzeni TVET Pre-Exam Comedy Jam.
Locally, their performances included the Southern African Nazarene University closing bash and other comedy events.
Their development was recognised when they won the 2022 Social Media Awards for Best Comedians of the Year. They had also been nominated for Best Comedy Series at the 2020 MTN SWAMA Awards.
In 2024, the pair expanded their creative work into theatre with their one-act production, As We Were Saying, staged at the Mbabane Theatre Club.
The production brought characters from their online comedy into a longer-form theatrical setting, showing that their work had developed beyond short social media clips.
But the end of the partnership has now forced Darren to look at what he can create without the identity of Angisati Ngitsin beside him.
During the podcast, he acknowledged that he was still searching for closure and had questioned why he was removed from the partnership. The uncertainty also made him question whether he had been good enough.
At the same time, he made it clear that the separation had not destroyed his relationship with Bongiswa.
When Bongiswa was contacted during the podcast, he explained that the two had grown and eventually reached a point where they were pursuing different paths.
His explanation did not portray the separation as the result of a major dispute.
Darren also acknowledged Bongiswa’s ability as a comedian and said he wished him well in his future work.
The two, however, have not seen each other since the split. Darren said they had planned to meet, but Bongiswa did not show up.
Questions surrounding the Angisati Ngitsin social media page also surfaced during the discussion, with Darren responding humorously and maintaining that there had been no major incident between them.
For audiences who followed the duo, the separation represents the end of a familiar comedy partnership. For Darren, however, it marks the beginning of a different professional challenge – establishing a name that can stand independently.
That challenge comes after years in which his creative identity was closely connected to Angisati Ngitsin.
He now has to determine what his individual comedy will look like, what stories he wants to tell and how he wants audiences to experience him outside the partnership.
Although he admitted that he had not fully developed his next project when the split happened, his experience has already given him a foundation to build from.
From social media comedy to live performances, collaborations and theatre, Darren has experienced several sides of the entertainment industry.
The question now is not simply what happened to Angisati Ngitsin, but what Darren Gamedze can create after it.
His appearance on Banele WJLM’s podcast has opened a window into that transition, allowing audiences to see the person behind the jokes and the uncertainty behind the performer.
For Darren, the next chapter will require him to turn years of shared experience into an individual creative identity.
The laughter may have started as a partnership, but his next story will be his own.
#DarrenGamedze #AngisatiNgitsin #EswatiniComedy #SwaziEntertainment #EswatiniEntertainment #SwaziComedian #EntertainmentNews #EPN #PositiveNews #EswatiniArtists #Comedy #NewChapter #LocalTalent
(Courtesy Pic)
