(Above: Thumamna Ndikuhlekise)
(Para-normal Comedy
and Vibes ... Review by Dr Verne Rowin Munsamy)
When I was a young reviewer, I relished in reviewing stand-up comedy shows. The late nights of shows that would only start at midnight and end in the early hours of the morning. Listening to numerous comedians and comediennes as they haggle the crowd and made fun of politics, government, religion, culture and individuals.
To end my 2026 NAF review of shows, I went to watch Emotional Black Male by comedian Thumamna Ndikuhlekise. Formally from the Eastern Cape, now trying to live out his dreams in Gauteng, Ndikuhlekise has worked hard to refine his brand of comedy.
When one goes to a comedy show at 10h00 in the morning this signals the start of something unnaturally weird and exciting. You are promptly asked to let go, let loose and simply allow yourself to be entertained and that is exactly what this half-full audience did. He had jokes for all ages, races and personality types. He maintained a good audience rapport as he unpacks crime in Transkei, a comedic play on words that sound the same but have different meanings in different languages and his own personal flaws.
I found his comedic timing to be astute, and his punchlines fresh and delightfully unexpected. Stand-up comedy is a form of entertainment that few can master as it asks the performer to tell stories with unexpected twists, interact with the audience and then find your way back to your stories with precious and expressive language.
Ndikuhlekise was not afraid to speak his polemic voice to advocate for LGBTQIA+ rights, take a stance against crime, and highlight several of the social issues faced throughout our country. His brand of comedy is definitely one to watch in the future and I for one, hope that he too gets to become the next Trevor Noah or Loyiso Gola. - Dr Verne Rowin Munsamy