It’s official: there’s nothing mini about The Showmax Roast of Minnie Dlamini, streaming from this Friday, 26 April 2024.
One of the most popular It Girls of the early- to mid-2000s, Minnie Dlamini was dubbed South Africa’s Diamond. She will now not only be known as a media personality, MC, businesswoman and model, but she will also hold the title of being the second Black African woman to be roasted, after Khanyi Mbau.
Being the talk of the town is nothing new for Minnie. With her roast around the corner, her name will once again be on the lips of many. But this time around, it will be on her terms.
Minnie Dlamini
“This is a moment for me to turn lemons into lemonade,” says Minnie Dlamini. “This is a moment for me to see and hear a lot of the things that people have been saying about me [which were cruel and mean] and turn what was said into something light and fun. In addition to that, this is a celebration of myself and my career. So my roast will surely be a good day at the office – what a way to get paid!”
While comedy heavyweights Jason Goliath and Tumi Morake will help steer the ship as the roastmasters, Minnie assures us that the star-studded panel, with the likes of Robert Marawa, Lasizwe, Celeste Ntuli, Penny Lebyane, Trevor Gumbi, Siv Ngesi, Da L.E.S and Shahan Ramkissoon, will leave viewers gobsmacked at their no-holds-barred punch-lines.
“I think the panellists are phenomenal,” she says. “We have a big group of comedians on that panel and what excites me is that comedians really understand the concept of a roast more than anyone. For them, it’s not about the commentary being true or not, it’s about being funny and they get that to a T. The non-comedians are also incredibly surprising – you won’t expect to see them in this light. For instance, I’ve known Robert for many years and I know he’s funny but I don’t think a lot of South Africans know that.”
Minnie Dlamini further hints that Trevor Gumbi will be heavily locked and loaded with ammunition that is guaranteed to burn everyone on that stage to a crisp. “If you’ve forgotten how incredibly talented that man is, watch the roast: it will jog your memory. He is a world-class act; he flexed his creative genius in true Trevor Gumbi style.”
“I’ve watched all of the local roasts and I think this one is going to go down as one of the funniest, especially considering the current talkability that surrounds my life and career,” says Minnie.