After Sunday's episode of "Date My Family" featuring Mduduzi ('Mdu') Nyoni, people on Twitter took to their timelines to question the legitimacy of his life story — in particular his British accent which many called "fake". Nyoni has since responded in two videos, giving the back story that he says was edited out of the final show.
"A lot of stuff was edited out that defines Mdu from the very beginning, about who I am," he said.
He says that he was in disbelief about the tweets and reports he had heard about his life and decided to record the video so viewers could "meet the real Mdu". Addressing the allegations about his "fake" accent, Nyoni said that he was raised by German foster parents in Sussex, England, after his mother died of cancer and only learned South African languages when he returned home.
"I was raised by people who spoke with an accent and I can't help it. I am better now. I remember when I came to South Africa it was very bad, but now, pushing and hustling, Jozi is a place of language and you will learn them whether you like it or not."
In the videos Nyoni "defined who he is" and dispensed advice on life and business. He also expressed his gratitude and admiration for the "Date My Family" team, acknowledging their hard work and said he was grateful for the opportunity to be able to tell his story.
Speaking about his silence on social media, Nyoni said that the reason he had "gone dark" on social media is because his "kids are being affected". Expressing his love for his children — both his biological son and daughter and step daughter who is not his biological child — Nyoni spoke about being a great dad. "My kids are my primary, they are my number one," he said.
Nyoni, who says he owns a group of businesses, says in the clip he "infuses" the skills of people with his "entrepreneurial background" to do work that "builds people" and strives to do work in favour of the greater good. This, he says, comes from his own difficult background of having to struggle when he first came to South Africa — "I was bouncing between Braamfontein and Hillbrow" — and it was through the generosity of other people that he could get out of that situation.
According to Nyoni, sometimes one needs help to find the kind of person you want to be in a relationship with, and that is why he went on to the show. "I'm a young professional ... I am ever-busy," he said. "So I went on to the show and had fun". But after this "chaos" following the airing of the show, he isn't interested in a relationship at all right now.
In his parting words on the video to Thokozile, the woman he finally went on a date with — who said he seems to be "living some movie life" — he said: "Hurting people hurt people". He also hopes that she is able to turn this "Date My Family" fame will "turn into rands" for her.