Mother’s Day is usually a joyful occasion filled with flowers, gifts, and heartfelt tributes. It’s a time when many people show appreciation to the women who raised them. But for others, especially those who have lost their mothers, the day can bring more sorrow than celebration. South African media personality Lasizwe Dambuza used this year’s Mother’s Day to express exactly that.
Lasizwe, known for his popular YouTube show Awkward Dates, took to social media with a deeply emotional post, remembering his mother who passed away in 2016. While many celebrities in Mzansi were sharing loving messages and special moments with their mothers, Lasizwe gave a voice to those who spend the day mourning instead of celebrating.
“Shoutout to ‘us’ that made it through today,” Lasizwe wrote. “A day that’s supposed to be celebratory towards one woman who gave birth to ‘us,’ but for ‘us’ today is just a painful reminder that our ‘mothers’ are no longer with us in the flesh. Yes, we can celebrate them and thank them, but the feeling of seeing them excited to being pampered or receiving gifts/flowers is all an illusion.”
Lasizwe continued, sharing the ongoing pain he feels since losing his mother: “Life really did a number on me when my mother passed on. It’s painful and that pain doesn’t go away—you just learn to live with it.” He ended his heartfelt post with a red broken heart emoji.
His words touched many of his followers, who quickly filled the comments with love and support. One user, @shmartyy_s, wrote: “Ohh yini @lasizwe. Mommy is watching over you, she’s been there and always will be. You might be surprised she’s the one with the biggest smile in heaven because she can look down and say, ‘there goes my son.’”
Another follower, @smiley_ngcobo, shared: “I never knew her hugs or her scent, but I feel her love in the hearts that care for me. To those carrying quiet grief—you are seen and loved.”
TV and radio personality Zanele Potelwa added, “I love you my Lasizwe,” while actress Khanya Mkangisa also showed her support with the words, “Sending you love.”
Lasizwe has previously opened up about the heartbreaking loss of his mother. In a 2023 interview with DJ Sbu on The Hustlers Corner, he recalled the painful memory of the day she passed. “My mom had a heart attack in December (2016) in a barbershop. I was cutting my hair for my matric dance. That day was so weird because my mom was actually spending her last cent on me just to make sure that I had a great matric dance. She sat down on the couch, I was cutting my hair and looking back in the mirror, and she collapsed. I saw her take her last breath.”
Lasizwe has also spoken about the loneliness he feels since losing both parents. In a post from April 2023, he wrote on X: “Woke up with the biggest lump in my throat. The fact that I am doing this life alone without any living parents, Yoh! What’s killing me is I can’t even pick up the phone and say, ‘I am calling my mom!’”
