Have you ever been so broke that all you could afford was a few loose cigarettes and a cheap bottle of Autumn Harvest to drown your sorrows? Moshe Ndiki understands your pain. Two years ago, after accidentally depositing money into the wrong account, his rant on his YouTube video “#Woozementation” attracted thousands of views on the first day.

Since then, his YouTube popularity has propelled him from penniless status to YouTube fame. But Moshe is not just a ranter. He’s humourous with the bluntness to call out bullshit – a true entertainer. Moshe has a growing fan base of Moshelytes on social media – including Yvonne Chaka Chaka who sent him a short video in response to his vlog – “No Love Back” which, in just a month, has received almost 80 000 views.

When Moshe graduated from acting, he had dreams of making it big on the small screen. But the former call centre agent identifies with being just another youth unemployment statistic for the first three years after graduating, while trying to pursue his acting career. “I had to take myself out of the entitlement zone – of thinking that things were going to come to me and I would get discovered. Not everyone is lucky enough to get discovered at the bank.”

Moshe started shooting videos on his low-quality phone and soon went viral

“I started shooting videos on my low quality phone and I’ve been shooting on my phone ever since I went viral. I had to use the resources I had and I was my main resource. I believe you are your own most important tool,” he says. “When I uploaded the first video two years ago, my friends and I only expected around 200 views at the most, but then the first video went viral – it got around 1000 views on the first day. It just went on from there and people wanted more.” His first video, titled “Living the life” is a 22-second clip of Moshe on a raft exploring a lake in Johannesburg when he arrived here from his home town, East London. The video has since received close to 18 000 views.

What’s next for Moshe?

“I thought I would join the entertainment industry for playing someone else, a character, but now I’m busy doing me. I feel so honoured and blessed because now the business is coming to me. I’m getting offers and people are willing to work around me.” Since blowing up online, Moshe has become a rising South African comedian and YouTube content producer with exciting television roles also in the works.

His advice to you

Moshe’s mantra of loving yourself and being unapologetically yourself speaks volumes to young South Africans still forging their own identity. His rants about side chicks and even issues like #FeesMustFall will keep you entertained and hooked.

“I believe that through self-actualisation and doing good as a person, you’ll get good back. When it’s your time, it’s your time but only if you put in the work. I’ve suffered for my craft.” His journey to YouTube stardom may not have been glamorous but with perseverance, his on screen dreams may not be so far after all.

His advice to you: “Go out and do it. Don’t wait for tomorrow, don’t wait for the day after tomorrow, don’t even wait two hours. Do it now. Now is the time to put in the work. The main ingredient to success is you.”

As his phone blows up with messages during the interview, his last words, “Free the wifi,” couldn’t have been more relevant. Next time you find yourself with some data or close to a wifi hotspot Moshe’s YouTube channel is a must!

Follow Moshe on Twitter and check out his website for more information

Photos by Abigail Javier