Khanyisa Bunu (born in Lady Free, Eastern Cape) is a South African stand-up comedienne, author, and actor. Through her comedy, she has been able to make thousands of South Africans laugh, her funny punchlines add to the tally and can be easily related to by Mzansi viewer.
Profile
| Name | Khanyisa Bunu |
| Place of birth | Lady Free, Eastern Cape |
| Gender | Female |
| Nationality | South African |
| Profession | Comedienne, teacher, actor, author |
| Country | South Africa |
| Ethnicity | Black |
Background
The actress’s place of birth is in Lady Free, Eastern Cape, South Africa. Though she grew up in Whittlesea, South of Queenstown, and is bring cagey about her family, age, and early life.
While she grew up, Khanyisa never for once thought she would become who she is today, a comedienne.
Career
Before venturing into stand-up comedy, Khanyisa was a storyteller and teacher. She taught in high school, during her teaching career, she taught Geography and English.
After eight (8) years as a teacher, she resigned to make people laugh. She revealed in an interview session that she was a “naughty child” while she grew. Khanyisa was struggling to discipline naughty students” while she taught.
Upon quitting her teaching career, she moved to Johannesburg in 2008 to tryout another profession. Well, she went for the audition for the So You Think You’re Funny, an SABC1’s stand-up comedy reality competition.
After leaving her job as a teacher in the Eastern Cape, she relocated to Gauteng. She squatted with her younger sister in a flat and has no income.
She dreams of making it on the international scene and has had a taste lately while on a government-sponsored trip to New York. She together with other filmmakers from the country went for a nine-day film festival in the Big Apple in April.
She made it to the top six in the competition. At first, she was a teachers’ mentor in Pretoria before landing the job oh a lecturer at Ekurhuleni FET College in Germiston.
Khanyisa appeared in 99% Xhosa Comedy twice in Port Elizabeth and David Kau’s Blacks Only Comedy.
This was eliminated from the competition yet opportunities come knocking afterward. Khanyisa boasts as the first woman winner of the most-coveted Audience Choice Award during the Savanna Comic’s Choice Award (2015).
She has also written for many community newspapers. The accomplished author titled her first novel Umbhodamo. As an actress, she appeared on the fourth season of Ses Top La on SABC. Playing the role of Nobuhle is one of her “most recognized performances”.
Teaching Profession
She shared her teaching experience and knows the possible drama that can unfold in the classroom. The teacher turned comedienne quit her teaching career to chase a career in storytelling.
She spoke to a panel of presenters on Trending SA revealing that she was a naughty child. But after landing a teaching career, she was struggling to deal with naughty kids.
“I couldn’t deal (with the naughty kids). Especially because students have changed. It was not like us in the olden days where the teachers would show you a sign that meant they were going to beat you and you would get scared.”
Her reason was that educators of today talk to children and tell them that they’d get punished and often doesn’t work.
