Television personality and media executive Psyfo, popularly known as Sipho Ngwenya, says stepping onto the Masked Singer South Africa stage wasn’t just about entertaining audiences, it came at a time when he was intentionally slowing down to rediscover himself.
Fresh from being unmasked on the hit reality competition, Psyfo revealed that joining the show was an easy decision.
“I’ve always been a fan of the show, and I’ve always been intrigued, as someone who works in the industry, about how the show gets produced,” he told Sunday World.
“So when I got the opportunity to do it, I was like, ‘Hell yeah, why not?’ The timing was perfect because I’m still on a break and I just wanted to do something fun.”
While the colourful costumes and mystery entertained viewers, keeping his participation secret proved far more difficult.
“It’s like winning the lottery, but you can’t tell your family,” he laughed. “You want to tell people because it’s such a great thing to do, but at the same time you can’t spoil it for them.”
One decision that came easily was choosing his performance song.
Psyfo selected I Like to Move It, made famous by the Madagascar films, because of his son.
“It’s an iconic song. Watching the first Madagascar movie and seeing how my son loved the song made it a no-brainer.”
He added: “If I’m going to be jumping around on stage in a mask and a costume, I want to do something that will make my son and my family happy.”
Although he has spent years on television as both a presenter and actor, The Masked Singer South Africa challenged him in ways he had never experienced before.
“When you’re wearing a mask, there’s no facial expression. The only thing you can rely on is the energy that you bring to the stage.”
Despite believing his distinctive voice would immediately give him away, Psyfo was surprised when none of the celebrity panellists guessed his identity.
“I was actually very surprised that nobody guessed who I was.”
The biggest challenge, however, was the costume itself.
“The outfit was great. I loved it. I actually wanted to keep it,” he joked.
“But the headgear… yo, my goodness. At one point I was asking myself, ‘Why didn’t they make this thing out of polystyrene?'”
Away from television, Psyfo says he has embraced another challenge, completing his Master of Business Administration (MBA), a decision driven by his desire to keep learning.
“I’m a lifelong student, the qualifications don’t qualify your existence, excuse the pun. They simply add to your journey of learning.”
While he has successfully run his own business for years, he wanted a deeper understanding of leadership and management.
“I felt there was something else I needed to understand about how businesses are managed. The MBA helped me tie up the loose ends.”
Beyond the academic knowledge, he says the experience broadened his perspective through the people he met.
“You meet someone from a bank, someone from another industry, someone from somewhere completely different, and you learn how they do things. It really opened my eyes.”
He believes the qualification has made him a better entrepreneur.
“It’s taught me how to manage myself and also the business side of what I do.”
For now, however, Psyfo says his focus has shifted away from chasing the next opportunity.
Instead, he has deliberately hit pause.
“I’m in a period of transition. I’m literally going back to self.”
He explained that after decades in the entertainment industry, he wants to reflect before deciding on his next move.
“I’ve stopped working. I just want to take a break and reflect on my career and what I actually want to do next.”
Family has become his greatest priority, especially after recently welcoming a new addition.
“I have a newborn. He’s four weeks old now. I just want to experience this little person.”
Only after spending time with his family, he says, will he decide what comes next professionally. His final takeaway from The Masked Singer South Africa is one that extends far beyond television. Reflecting on the character (costume of a clock) he portrayed, Psyfo says it reminded him of life’s greatest lesson.
“Time is all that we have. If there’s anything people can take away from it, it’s that your time is very precious. Do the best you can with the time you have and do the things you love most.”
He added: “Time is very valuable, and unfortunately, it also has an ending.”
- Television personality and media executive Psyfo, popularly known as Sipho Ngwenya, says stepping onto the Masked Singer South Africa stage wasn’t just about entertaining audiences, it came at a time when he was intentionally slowing down to rediscover himself.
- Fresh from being unmasked on the hit reality competition, Psyfo revealed that joining the show was an easy decision.
- “I’ve always been a fan of the show, and I’ve always been intrigued, as someone who works in the industry, about how the show gets produced,” he told Sunday World.
- “So when I got the opportunity to do it, I was like, ‘Hell yeah, why not?’ The timing was perfect because I’m still on a break and I just wanted to do something fun.” While the colourful costumes and mystery entertained viewers, keeping his participation secret proved far more difficult.
- “It’s like winning the lottery, but you can’t tell your family,” he laughed.
Television personality and media executive Psyfo, popularly known as Sipho
"I've always been a fan of the show, and I've always been intrigued, as someone who works in the industry, about how the show gets produced," he told
"So when I got the opportunity to do it, I was like, 'Hell yeah, why not?'
While the colourful costumes and mystery entertained viewers, keeping his participation secret proved far more difficult.
"It's like winning the lottery, but you can't tell your family," he laughed. "You want to tell people because it's such a great thing to do, but at the same time you can't spoil it for them."
One decision that came easily was choosing his performance song.
Psyfo selected I Like to Move It, made famous by the Madagascar films, because of his son.
"It's an iconic song.
He added: "If I'm going to be jumping around on stage in a mask and a costume, I want to do something that will make my son and my family happy."
"When you're wearing a mask, there's no facial expression.
Despite believing his distinctive voice would immediately give him away, Psyfo was surprised when none of the celebrity panellists guessed his identity.
"I was actually very surprised that nobody guessed who I was."
"
"But the headgear... yo, my goodness. At one point I was asking myself, 'Why didn't they make this thing out of polystyrene?'"
Away from television, Psyfo says he has embraced another challenge, completing his Master of Business Administration (MBA), a decision driven by his desire to keep learning.
"I'm a lifelong student, the qualifications don't qualify your existence, excuse the pun.
While he has successfully run his own business for years, he wanted a deeper understanding of leadership and management.
"I felt there was something else I needed to understand about how businesses are managed.
"You meet someone from a bank, someone from another industry, someone from somewhere completely different, and you learn how they do things. It really opened my eyes."
He believes the qualification has made him a better entrepreneur.
"It's taught me how to manage myself and also the business side of what I do."
For now, however, Psyfo says his focus has shifted away from chasing the next opportunity.
Instead, he has deliberately hit pause.
"I'm in a period of transition. I'm literally going back to self."
He explained that after decades in the entertainment industry, he wants to reflect before deciding on his next move.
"I've stopped working. I just want to take a break and reflect on my career and what I actually want to do next."
Family has become his greatest priority, especially after recently welcoming a new addition.
"I have a newborn. He's four weeks old now. I just want to experience this little person."
Only after spending time with his family, he says, will he decide what comes next professionally. His final takeaway from
"Time is all that we have. If there's anything people can take away from it, it's that your time is very precious. Do the best you can with the time you have and do the things you love most."
He added: "Time is very valuable, and unfortunately, it also has an ending."
