Big Brother Mzansi: Get to Know a Little About Season 5 Housemates
The mandate is out and so is the bundle of firewood as the fifth season of Big Brother Mzansi (BBM) officially went underway on the 12th of January 2025. Hosted by Smash Afrika who took over the reins rather smoothly from familiar face Lawrence Maleka, the current installment of BBM is themed “Umlilo”, the Nguni word for “Fire”, promising that to the viewers and absolutely nothing else but.
On Sunday evening’s introductory show, fans and fervent followers of the BBM spectacle finally got to know the contestants who will be vying for the R2 million prize. From highly driven intellectuals and streetwise players with their eyes locked on the cash to quirky fashionistas and Bhinca life representatives, the first batch of housemates were a mixed bag of individuals who all promised, explicitly or implicitly with their strong showing, to not only live up to the given theme of the season but to be bold embodiments of it.
For those of you who missed it, here are the housemates below and a brief description of who they revealed themselves to be coming into Biggie’s watchful eye.
Kay B: The Self-Proclaimed Stout Ball of Energy
The first contestant the public made acquaintance with was Kay B, a professional model and model coach, who flaunted her attributes of being energetic, possessing a larger-than-life personality, and having a bone of mischief. Promising to set the house ablaze with her attitude and looks, she vowed to be the house’s fashion killer.
Watch Kay B’s video below:
Mandy Hagen, the Bubbly and Ever-Laughing Slayer
Describing herself a sexy, chubby girl after a volley of izithakazelo, Mandy Hagen is a 26-year-old fashionista with a personality of rainbows and sunshine. Promising to bring the heat, the ever-smiling Hagen could hardly contain her laughter as she introduced herself on Sunday.
Watch Mandy’s introduction below:
Gugu, the Chic Yet Eloquent Villain
Exuding posh confidence and elegant poise, Gugu commanded attention with her clan name-prefaced speech of how she entered the show to win it all. Labelling herself as being in her villain era, the Soweto-bred contestant divulged that her game-winning strategy is pretending to be someone she’s not to manipulate those around her and gaining favour by being a mystery to them.
Watch Gugu’s video:
Sweet Guluva, the Chill Guy With No Criminal Record Despite Being a “Criminal“
A self-confessed criminal who came off without a criminal record, Sweet Guluva is a person who would be called, in modern meme terms, just a chill guy trying to capture the hearts of those watching at home with his personality. Coming into the game without a definitive strategy, he said he wanted to remain a mystery, feeding into him describing himself as a person who doesn’t really talk much.
Get to know Sweet Guluva:
Savage, the Gym Dude and the Living Red Flag
A well-travelled professional trainer and billing himself as a walking red flag, the muscular Savage presented himself a bringer of the spice and the mlilo with his fresh cut and lush facial hair. Revealing that people, often women, misunderstood him without getting to know him, the boisterous Savage said that he possessed a 90s-era kind of love.
Listen to Savage’s get-to-know video:
Luzuko, the Smooth-Talking Charmer
Summarising his character as a concoction of charisma, wit, and charm, the soft-spoken 26-year-old planned to be a smooth operator, citing that it was something which worked for him in the world in general. He also spoke about using prayer as a weapon and a strategy in the game.
Watch Luzuko’s video:
Mshini, the Pretty Young Thing With a Dashing Personality
The 23-year-old hopeful from Zola billed herself as a funny girl who is a straight talker with a sweet side. Planning to be herself, she put her money on her uniqueness as the star-quality to make her mark on the show.
Find out more about Mshini below:
Ash-Ley, the “Maddie”
A Durban-born “maddie” who plans on not sleeping at all in the show as one of her strategies, the diva from KwaZulu-Natal showcased her fierceness and the flames she will be bringing to the table in her brief introduction. It remains to be seen just what destruction and chaos she’ll wreak in the BB house during her stay.
Watch Ash-Ley’s video:
Beekay, the Puppet Master of Housemates
Labelling himself as a natural competitor who doesn’t like to lose, Beekay said that his strategy coming into the Biggie house was to be an instigator, orchestrating rivalries and creating havoc by spreading false rumours and pitting contestants against each other. He placed a premium on playing the mysterious card and not being loud and out there as to play an effective game.
Watch Beekay’s video:
Tyrone, the Energetic and Eccentric One
Hailing from Eastern Cape, Tyrone pigeonholed himself as a funny person set to ignite the show with his personality. He spoke about how his strategy was to play the game as though he was one of the viewers watching the show as to understand everything from a third-person perspective.
Watch Tyrone’s video:
Bonnie Bee, the Queen of Heat
Spontaneous, verbal, and outspoken, Bonnie Bee told the people that she had nothing in particular in mind when it came to a game-defining strategy other than to be herself and not get lost in the game. Ladies and gents, this is the self-crowned queen of heat.
Watch Bonnie B’s video:
Nate, the Brainiac and the Baddie
Sassy, sexy, and smooth would be some of the superlatives that best describe Nate, the medical orthotist, prosthestist and MUA from Turfloop. Nate revealed that her strategy was to set the house on fire with her authenticity as well as her lethal face card.
Check out Nate’s video:
Muzi the Mbuzi, the GOAT of the House
Framing himself as the one and only and perhaps even inimitable “goat”, Muzi the Mbuzi dazzled with his Tekken’s Raven-esque look of fully blonded hair and facial. The Kempton Park native promised to deliver vibes and solutions to the house.
Watch Muzi’s video:
Mata, Vaal’s Rainbowy Rising Star
A colourful musical rising star from the Vaal, Mata described herself as a walking personality Russian roulette, with people getting different things depending on their luck. What will the housemates and the viewers get? It all remains to be seen in the next couple of weeks.
Watch Mata’s video:
Jojo, the Amiable PK
Jojo, the 22-year-old jolly pastor’s kid from Bloemfontein, sparked interest by letting it be known that she was bringing the fire with her smarts, her beautiful voice, as well as her beauty. The Free State lassie said her strategy was going into the game with vulnerability.
Know more about Jojo:
Ezra, the Charmer
Next up on the list is Ezra, a 27-year-old farmer and a certified bad boy who loves the ladies and brings the fun. The mixed bag of surprises revealed that his forte was to inject banter and fun into the game.
Learn more about Ezra below:
Swiss, the Drama King
Hailing all the way from Pietermaritzburg, another fire bringer who is set to bring the heat into Biggie’s House is Swiss. Coming in with no strategy and depending on his uniqueness, he listed drama, suspense and romance as several of the things he’d be coming into the show with.
Watch Swiss say more about himself:
Uyanda, the Walking Paradox
Priorities filling his own cup before looking at anybody else’s, Uyanda introduced himself as an outspoken person who loves interacting with others. The walking contradiction made it clear that he was on the show to be himself and to call a spade a spade – even if doing such result in a mess. Just the kind of material BBM is made up of.
Get to know Uyanda better on his video:
Siphesihle, the Bringer of Sauce
Born in Secunda, Siphesihle prefixed her intro with a song of clan names. Describing herself as competitive, she placed herself on the pedestal of hype, making it a point that she saw herself as top two but not two and dubbed herself a drama magnet who tries her best to never embody the aesthetic of her problems.
Watch Siphesihle’s intro:
Abobo, the Human Torch
Lighting up the torch from Cape Town, Abobo hyped himself as the personification of fire itself, that his presence alone was going to be enough to stoke the flames of the BB house.
Watch Abobo’s video:
Nsuku, the Agent of Candor
A diligent lady who wears many caps, including modelling, acting, studying, and being a municipal officer, Nsuku planned to serve gossip in the house – her supposed primary strategy coming into the game. The Limpopo girl also said that her focus was to keep it real throughout the duration of the season and to keep the fire burning with her talkative nature and confrontational streak.
Find out more about Nsuku below:
Philile, the Flirtatious One
Representing the township of Umlazi in KwaZulu-Natal, the happy-g0-lucky 31-year-old listed being coquettish as one of her strengths and the means she would be bringing the fire into BBM 2025 with. A hopeless lover of bad boys, Philile said she was the type to bring ibele to the table. Drizzle drizzle, as they always say. With that said, may the flirting games begin.
Watch Philile’s video:
Melino, the Other Goat With the Fire
Bringing with him the paraffin, the charcoals, the firelighters, and the braai stand, Melino described himself as a mbuzi, which could be a source of conflict since there’s already another one in the house. Or perhaps there’s enough room for two goats? Either way, the 33-year-old said he’d be pushing five-times the action, the drama, and the shower hours.
Watch Melino describe himself briefly:
Sipha Lee, the Gent Standing on Business
29 years of age and repping Katlehong, Sipha Lee branded himself as an untamable fire that would leave the house, the furniture, and indeed the housemates reduced to atoms. Yes, not even ashes – atoms, as he said that he wouldn’t leave any ash behind. A focused gent, Sipha made it clear that he wasn’t in the show looking for love but to get his hands on the grand prize.
Watch Sipha Lee’s video:
These ladies and gentlemen will be the housemates on the screens of millions for the next several months, each one unique from the next but all of them spurred by a common goal: winning that R2 million prize.
Have you decided on a fave as yet? Don’t forget to join the conversation on major social media channels with the hashtag #BBMzansi2025