Meet the new Contestants competing in MasterChef South Africa 2024

July 8, 2024 Shawn Godfrey

After participating in season 4 (and taking the title home after five gruelling weeks), I am keen to see who becomes the MasterChef winner for season 5! It is going to be strange to be on the other side of the TV screen this season. But who are the candidates this year? Find out below!

The first version article was published on 4 February 2022 to introduce the contestants of season four. It was updated on 9 July 2024 to include the contestants of the new MasterChef season (season 5 - which started airing in July 2024).

MasterChef Season 5 Episode Summaries

Click here read up more about the MasterChef season 4 contestants, or read the summary from the previous MasterChef episodes if you’re trying to catch up:

Want to Watch MasterChef South Africa?

MasterChef South Africa Season premiered on Saturday July 13 at 7:30 pm on S3, and new episodes are aired every Saturday.
If you miss it an episode, it will be rebroadcast every Sunday on S2 at 6:30 pm and on Wednesdays on S3 at 6:00 pm.

Or click here to read up more about season four (MasterChef South Africa 2022).

Spoiler Alert

If you are behind, I recommend you stop reading this blog post now!

Ketsia Malela

Who is Ketsia?

Age: 31

From: Kyalami in Johannesburg

What did she do before MasterChef? Ketsia is an online content creater.

How did she do? In the sixth episode, which featured a team challenge, Ketsia was part of the red team which ended up losing the challenge.

In the seventh episode Ketsia made a smoked mussel oil flatbread and tuna salad with pesto mayo, celery, pickled spring onions and parsley. Her flatbread was described as ‘bland’ and the judges were surprised that she’d opted not to use Justine’s chicken leftovers. Ultimately, her dish did not meet the mark and she was eliminated from the competition.

When was she eliminated? In episode 7.

Instagram: @ketsia.ma or @foodbaby.za

Andrew Nye

Who is Andrew?

Age: 42

From: Johannesburg

What did he do before MasterChef? Andrew is a video producer and has a son.

If he wins, he wants to spend the million rand on: Hosting a food travel show where she can cook with people from all over the world.

Instagram: @extraordinaryhomechef

How did he do? Andrew was unfortunately voted out in the first episode.

When was he eliminated? In episode 1.

Melanie Jo-Anne van der Merwe

Who is Melanie ?

Age: 39

From:

What did she do before MasterChef? Melanie is a Mom and entrepreneur and an aspiring Chef.

If she wins, she wants to spend the million rand on: Hosting a food travel show where she can cook with people from all over the world.

Instagram: @eatwithmel

Shreya Beekum

Who is Shreya?

Age: 22

From: Ballito

What did she do before MasterChef? Shreya is a recent graduate.

If she wins, she wants to spend the million rand on: Opening her own restaurant.

How did Shreya do? In the fourth episode, the contestants were asked to pay tribute to and draw inspiration from the judges’ star signs when creating their dishes in this challenge. Chanel, Shreya and Zak found themselves in the bottom three, but Chanel and Shreya were safe when Zak was eliminated.

In the sixth episode, which featured a team challenge, Shreya was part of the blue team which ended up winning the challenge, meaning she could sit out the challenge in episode 7 and watch from the gantry instead.

When was she eliminated? Shreya was never eliminated from the competition, but decided to leave the competition in the tenth episode, stating her anxiety got the better of her, and after receiving “some unfortunate news” from her family.

Instagram: @withloveshreyabeekum

Nabila Beulah Shamshum

Who is Nabila?

Age: 23

From: Johannesburg

What did she do before MasterChef? Nabila is a school secretary and part-time educator.

If she wins, she wants to spend the million rand on: Opening up a cosy bistro where she would like to sell freshly baked goods, serve fusion dishes and host art workshops.

How did she do? In the sixth episode, which featured a team challenge, Nabila was part of the blue team which ended up winning the challenge, meaning she could sit out the challenge in episode 7 and watch from the gantry instead. In the 11th episode, Nabila joined forces with Lona in a Mystery Box Team Challenge, and they took home the victory, earning themselves a spot on the gantry in episode 12.

Instagram: @nabila_shamshum

Mahlodi Lesego Matuludi

Who is Mahlodi?

Age: 26

From: Johannesburg

What did she do before MasterChef? Mahlodi is self-employed. She featured as a contestant on Colour Your Plate with KOO Season 2 and was the runner-up on The Tastemaste SA Season 4.

If she wins, she wants to spend the million rand on:

Instagram:

How did she do? Lesego was unfortunately voted out in the first episode.

When was she eliminated? In episode 1.

Robyn Africa

Who is Robyn?

Age: 28

From: Midrand

What did she do before MasterChef? Law Firm Manager, personal trainer and mother-of-two girls aged four and two.

If she wins, she wants to spend the million rand on: Opening her own pastry restaurant

Instagram: @africa_robyn or @robyn.a.v

How did she do? Robyn was unfortunately voted out in the first episode.

When was she eliminated? In episode 1.

Bridget Mangwandi

Who is Bridget?

Age: 20

From: Bloemfontein

What did she do before MasterChef? Food content creator, studying consumer science in food biochemistry, running her own catering service Bei.Cuisine.

If she wins, she wants to spend the million rand on: Launching a cutting-edge food business focused on sustainability and teaming up with local artisans and farmers.

How did Bridget do? In the third episode, the contestants were challenged by guest judge Chef Nokx Majozi in a pressure test to recreate her signature Pepper Steak Pie. Tina, Bridget and Amo had made the best pepper steak pies, and Tina won the elimination challenge. In the sixth episode, which featured a team challenge, Bridget was part of the red team which ended up losing the challenge. Most recently, Bridget was in the bottom three in episode 8 with Naledi and Tebogo, but she made it through when Tebogo was eliminated. In the 11th episode, Bridget joined forces with Amo in a Mystery Box Team Challenge and her steamed bread received a great compliment from Zola, who said she can make dombolo “like anyone’s gogo”

Instagram: @bei.szn and @bei.cuisine (catering service)

Penelope Rider (Penny)

Who is Penelope?

Age: 65

From: Johannesburg

What did she do before MasterChef? Penny is retired. Besides cooking, she enjoys silversmith work and jewellery design. She previously competed in MasterChef season 2, made it in to the top 4 in Ultimate Braai Master in 2014 and 2018, and in The Great South African Bake Off in 2016. In 2021, she won Laat die Potte Prut.

If she wins, she wants to spend the million rand on: Running a pop-up restaurant from her home.

How did Penny do? In the fifth episode though, when guest judge Jackie Burger challenged the contestants to use fashion models and their incredible outfits to make their own creative interpretation of the outfits. Amo, Tina and Penny found themselves in the bottom, but Amo and Penny were safe when Tina was eliminated.

In the sixth episode, which featured a team challenge, Penny was part of the red team which ended up losing the challenge.

In the seventh episode, Penny’s sweet potato and tuna croquettes with Saltirax crumbs, herbs and smoked mussels on a pea purée, made with the leftovers from Zola’s fridge in the leftover challenge was referred to as a “symphony of flavours” by Judge Justine, who particularly enjoyed the enjoyed the mussel surprise in the croquette.

In episode 10 Penny makes it in the Top Three together with Naledi and Lona but Naledi wins the challenge with her chicken roulade.

Instagram: @peejonfire

Tzu Ting Long (Tina)

Who is Tina?

Age: 41

From: Cape Town

What did she do before MasterChef? Tina is a mom of two and a small business owner. She runs a factory producing dumplings which she sells through her website Home Bao (I would strongly recommend giving her business a try!). Don’t forget to read my blog post about Tina.

If she wins, she wants to spend the million rand on: Opening a dumpling and dim sum school in Cape Town for children who cannot afford culinary school.

How did Tina do? In the third episode the contestants were challenged by guest judge Chef Nokx Majozi in a pressure test to recreate her signature Pepper Steak Pie. Tina had made the best pepper steak pie, and won the elimination challenge.

In the fifth episode, guest judge Jackie Burger challenged the contestants to use fashion models and their incredible outfits to make their own creative interpretation of the outfits. Amo, Tina and Penny were in the bottom, and Tina was eliminated.

When was she eliminated? In episode 5

Instagram: @home.bao

Zakariyya Ibrahim (Zak)

Who is Zak?

Age: 46

From: Johannesburg

What did he do before MasterChef? Owner of a small catering company

How did Zak do? In the fourth episode, the contestants were asked to pay tribute to and draw inspiration from the judges’ star signs when creating their dishes in this challenge. They couldn’t choose which judge’s star sign they were going to base their dish on, but it was an elimination based on chance as they had to choose a card in order to determine which protein they would be cooking. Chanel, Shreya and Zak found themselves in the bottom three. Zakariyya Ibrahim (Zak) went home as his curry failed to deliver. According to Judge Katlego, the lack of seasoning was his downfall and both the rice and carrots were overcooked, and the dish was not balanced.

When was he eliminated? In episode 4

Instagram: @thevirgincook_by_zak

Amogelang Maluleke (Amo)

Who is Amo?

Age: 25

From: Originally from Shoshanguve (Pretoria) but now lives in Johannesburg

What did he do before MasterChef? Community Manager

If he wins, he wants to spend the million rand on: Opening a food truck and becoming a travelling food critic.

How did Amo do? In the third episode, the contestants were challenged by guest judge Chef Nokx Majozi in a pressure test to recreate her signature Pepper Steak Pie. Tina, Bridget and Amo had made the best pepper steak pies, and Tina won the elimination challenge.

The tables turned in the fifth episode though, when guest judge Jackie Burger challenged the contestants to use fashion models and their incredible outfits to make their own creative interpretation of the outfits. Amo, Tina and Penny found themselves in the bottom, and Tina was eliminated.

In the sixth episode, which featured a team challenge, Amo was part of the blue team which ended up winning the challenge, meaning he could sit out the challenge in episode 7 and watch from the gantry instead.

Instagram: @amo_maluleka

Lona Rode

Who is Lona?

Age: 35

From: Grew up in Tikititiki, a village in Tsolo (Eastern Cape), now lives in Saint Francis.

What did he do before MasterChef? Graphic Designer, freelancer and a home cook. He enjoys photography, interior design and organising events.

If he wins, he wants to spend the million rand on: Opening his own gourmet restaurant.

How did Lona do? In the third episode, the contestants were challenged by guest judge Chef Nokx Majozi in a pressure test to recreate her signature Pepper Steak Pie. Lona found himself in the bottom three along with Melanie and Nash but he made it through as Melanie was eliminated. In the sixth episode, which featured a team challenge, Lona was part of the red team which ended up losing the challenge. In the seventh episode Lona ends up in the bottom two after his chicken potstickers with toasted sweet corn, pickled fish, and roasted vegetable puree were too acidic according to the judges, while the dough was too thick and stodgy. They did compliment the purée. Lona was safe from elimination when Ketsia was sent home instead. In the ninth episode, Lona won R50,000 for his Cabbage Delight with roasted red pepper, coconut dream, sesame oil dressing, sprouts & red onion marmalade. In episode 10 Lona once again makes it in the Top Three together with Naledi and Penny, but Naledi wins the challenge with her chicken roulade. In the 11th episode, Lona joined forces with Nabila in a Mystery Box Team Challenge, and they took home the victory, earning themselves a spot on the gantry in episode 12.

Instagram: @lonarode

Tebogo Mabye (Tebz)

Who is Tebz?

Age: 29

From: Hillbrow

What did he do before MasterChef? Model and barista. Owner of Hillbrewed Café. Martial arts champion.

If he wins, he wants to spend the million rand on: owning a restaurant.

How did Tebogo do on MasterChef? In the sixth episode, which featured a team challenge, Tebogo was team captain for the blue team which ended up winning the challenge, meaning he could sit out the challenge in episode 7 and watch from the gantry instead.

Although Tebogo was a fan-favourite but unfortunately he was eliminated in episode 8. Justine Drake said, after he had been eliminated: “you have real talent. You’re calm under fire. You showed amazing leadership qualities. some of your presentation was quite startling.” She said she expected great things from Tebogo still: “If you love it, if you show the passion and the will to learn, you will go far.”

Eliminated? In episode 8

Instagram: @tebogo_mabye

Tinashe “Nash” Zambila (39)

Who is Nash?

Age: 39

From: Johannesburg (northern suburbs)

What did he do before MasterChef? Nash is the Operations Director at advertising agency and father of eight-year-old boy.

If he wins, he wants to spend the million rand on: Nash has many ideas, ranging from a chicken wing bar, a cooking channel, bespoke pop-ups showcasing up-and-coming chefs, a chilli farm where he bottles his own chilli sauce and sustainable feeding scheme initiatives.

How did Nash do? In the third episode, the contestants were challenged by guest judge Chef Nokx Majozi in a pressure test to recreate her signature Pepper Steak Pie. Nash found himself in the bottom three along with Melanie and Lona but he made it through as Melanie was eliminated instead.

In the sixth episode, which featured a team challenge, Nash was part of the red team which ended up losing the challenge.

In episode 10, Nash found himself in the bottom three once again together with Chanel and Refe, but he was safe when Refe was eliminated.

Instagram: @theycallmenash1

Lucas Roothman

Who is Lucas?

Age: 33

From: Lucas is originally from Worchester, now lives in Stellenbosch

What did he do before MasterChef? He coaches rugby at school and university levels and recruit players for a rugby academy. He was a U/19 Western Province Union player

If he wins, he wants to spend the million rand on: opening his own Bistro restaurant

Instagram: @lucasroothman (private)

How did he do? Lucas was unfortunately voted out in the first episode.

When was he eliminated? In episode 1.

Chanel Brink

Who is Chanel?

Age: 34

From: Durban originally but now lives in Greenstone Hills, Johannesburg

What did she do before MasterChef? Chanel is Internal Sales consultant at a construction company and a food blogger. Like me, she started sharing recipes on Instagram during the COVID-19 lockdown. She likes to share classic recipes with a distinct South African twist With her easy-to-make comfort food and simple techniques she has become very successful and has over R180k followers.

If she wins, she wants to spend the million rand on: attending culinary school and pursuing a full-time cooking career.

How did Chanel do on MasterChef? In the fourth episode, the contestants were asked to pay tribute to and draw inspiration from the judges’ star signs when creating their dishes in this challenge. Chanel, Shreya and Zak found themselves in the bottom three, but Chanel and Shreya were safe when Zak was eliminated.

In the sixth episode, which featured a team challenge, Chanel was part of the blue team which ended up winning the challenge, meaning she could sit out the challenge in episode 7 and watch from the gantry instead.

Chanel won a challenge in episode 8, and had the chance to cook against Herman Lensing, while special guest Shawn Godfrey served as the referee. Unfortunately she didn’t win the cook-off against Herman Lensing, and so she did not win an Immunity Pin.

In the ninth episode, Chanel makes it into the top three, after her Baked cauliflower with cashew & dahl sauce, feta chilli oil & broccoli pickled in Pineapple Vinegar is called “sensational” by judge Zola Nene. Unfortunately for her, Lona wins R50 000 prize money for making the best dish of that challenge.

In episode 10, Chanel was in the bottom three together with Nash and Refe, but she was safe when Refe was eliminated instead.

Instagram: @cookingwithchanel_sa

Elaine E. Constantinides-Leite (Ella Bella)

Who is Ella?

Age: 39

From: Bedfordview (Johannesburg)

What did she do before MasterChef? Ella is a teacher and environmentalist. She teaches in all corners of the country as part of the Miss Earth South Africa programme, educating children about biodiversity and preserving our national heritage. As such, she initiates projects ranging from planting trees and creating sustainable vegetable gardens to recycling, cleaning rivers and beaches, and feeding people in different communities weekly. Ella is married with two children.

If she wins, she wants to spend the million rand on: food trucks on their way to the empty bellies in many communities. To start the Ella Truck and cook for people in need.

Instagram handle: @ellabellaleite

How did she do? Ella was unfortunately voted out in the first episode.

When was she eliminated? In episode 1.

Naledi Matshitshe

Age: 43

From: Originally from Mafikeng but now lives in Muldersdrift

What did she do before MasterChef? Naledi has a degree in Industrial psychology but is now a stay-at-home mom. She is no stranger to the kitchen being a competitive work environment, as she won on Season 8 of Ultimate Braaimaster together with her childhood friend Malebogo Diraditsile.

How did Naledi do? In the second episode, Naledi won the mystery box challenge and as a result could sit out the challenge on the third episode, when she was a spectator watching the other contestants from the gantry.

In the sixth episode, which featured a team challenge, Naledi was part of the blue team which ended up winning the challenge, meaning she could sit out the challenge in episode 7 and watch from the gantry instead.

Things made a turn when she was in the bottom three in episode 8, but she made it through when Tebogo was eliminated. In episode 10, Naledi’s Chicken Roulade stuffed with sun dried tomato and ricotta cheese, carrot top & pumpkin seed pesto & mielie meal makes her the winner of the Italian/South African challenge with Guest Chef Alessandro Khojane.

Instagram handle: @naledimatshitse

Refe Dimbaza

Age: 31

From: Thaba’Nchu (Free State, but now lives in Centurion these days.

What did she do before MasterChef? Refe is a Financial accountant

Instagram: @refedimbaza and @wholesumvuyi

How did Refe do? In the sixth episode, which featured a team challenge, Ketsia was part of the red team which ended up losing the challenge.

In the seventh episode, Refe’s modern take on the traditional “surf and turf,” was well-liked by the judges, with Katlego saying she “took Bully Beef to private school”. Refe had stuffed a croquette with pickled onions, ham, and corned beef and included a tuna sauce.

In the ninth episode, Refe makes it into the top three, after her Cabbage-filled Potsticker with Vegetable Broth, Mushroom Soy, Crispy Shallot, Chilly Oil & Pickled Cabbage was well-loved by the judges. Unfortunately for her, Lona wins R50 000 prize money for making the best dish of that challenge.

In episode 10, Refe was in the bottom three together with Chanel and Nash. The judges had conflicting opinions about her Meatballs and Pappardelle dish. Although she had made some “mighty fine” meatballs, and the tomato based sauce with bone marrow, green peppers, basil oil & roasted garlic was good too, the pappardelle was undercooked and too thick. Because the pasta was the main component of the dish, Refe is sent home for her undercooked pappardelle. An emotional farewell follows before Refe leaves the kitchen after being eliminated from the competition.

MasterChef South Africa Season premiered on Saturday July 13 at 7:30 pm on S3, and new episodes are aired every Saturday.
If you miss it an episode, it will be rebroadcast every Sunday on S2 at 6:30 pm and on Wednesdays on S3 at 6:00 pm.

The Judges in MasterChef South Africa Season 5

MasterChef South Africa Season 5 Judges Justine Drake Zola Nene and Katlego Mlambo

Justine Drake (@justinedrakecooks) will be judging the MasterChef contestants again in season 5, as she did in season 4 as well. Justine, like the other judges, needs no introduction in the food world. She has been in the food media industry since 1988 (a year after I was born! But I won’t remind Justine of that). She was the first editor of Pick n Pay’s Fresh Living magazine and she has worked at magazines like Fair Lady and Men’s Health. She is currently the content director at Dentsu Creative.

Zola Nene (@zola_nene) is the second judge this season. Zola started her culinary journey at the Institute of Culinary Arts (ICA) in Stellenbosch and was known for appearing on the Expresso Show (read my blog post on what it was like for me, to cook live on the Expresso show) and she appeared alongside Gordon Ramsay on National Geographic’s ‘Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted” and on “The Great South African Bake Off”. She is also a cook book author and published three cook books. Her second book Simply Zola was awarded the Gourmand World Cookbook Award in 2019. Her latest book Simply Seven Colours (first published in 2022), celebrates South Africa’s rich food traditions, something that also came through in the Seven Colours episode on MasterChef season 4!

The new addition to the judges panel for MasterChef season 5 is award winning chef Katlego Mlambo (@i_amkatlego) from Johannesburg. He is replacing Gregory Czarnecki (@czarneckigregory) this season. Katlego was trained in Cape Town, and has cooked alongside South Africa’s top chefs and has severed famous guests like Black Coffee and Beyoncé at The Marabi Club (a jazz club in Johannesburg). In 2022, Katlego headed to London to lead the kitchen at Kudu restaurant. He is also known as the host of “The Inside Job'“ on Food Network.

Good luck to the contestants as the judges will taste their dishes and share their verdicts, eliminating nineteen contestants until the winner remains…

MasterChef Season 5 Episode Summaries

You can read the summary from the previous MasterChef episodes if you’re trying to catch up:

Want to Watch MasterChef South Africa?

MasterChef South Africa Season premiered on Saturday July 13 at 7:30 pm on S3, and new episodes are aired every Saturday.
If you miss it an episode, it will be rebroadcast every Sunday on S2 at 6:30 pm and on Wednesdays on S3 at 6:00 pm

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About Shawn Godfrey

Photo credit: Niki M Photography

Shawn Godfrey is an entrepreneur based in Cape Town, South Africa. After the Covid-19 lockdown saw his business in financial distress, cooking was the creative outlet that helped to keep him sane. To keep track of his recipes, and encourage friends and families to join him, he starts his instagram account The Roasted Dad.

Fast-forward to late 2021 - on a whim Shawn (encouraged by his wife Lianne) enters MasterChef South Africa. It is a crazy time of life: running a 200 people business and struggling to keep it profitable, two small children with a third on the way, and about to move into a new house. But when Shawn gets selected to be one of the 20 contestants participating in the fourth season of MasterChef South Africa, he decides to go all in. Leaving his 7-month-pregnant wife to look after their then three and one-year-old children, he battles it out and comes back home five weeks later with the trophy and a million rand prize money in his pocket.

It all started with an Instagram account, but The Roasted Dad is so much more now. Shawn has stayed his entrepreneurial self and whilst he hosts Private Dinner Parties and Cook-with-Me Demos, does Restaurant Take-Overs, he still runs the lighting company and several other businesses.

On his blog, Shawn shares Restaurant Reviews and Accommodation Reviews, and gives an insight into the wild and wonderful life he leads together with his wife Lianne, and their three children Aiden (6), Olivia (4) and Harvey (2).

Sign up to the newsletter below to be kept up to date with events, new recipes and reviews, or contact Shawn to chat about recipe creation, restaurant takeovers and public speaking events.

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The MasterChef SA Contestants from last season (2022)

Since I rubbed shoulders with these up-and-coming food legends, I can tell you a few things about them as we get ready for the first MasterChef South Africa Season 4 episode to air on February 28th 2022.

The MasterChef SA Contestants 2022

Alicia Nicola

I got to know Alicia as an incredibly sweet, passionate foodie. She creates some of the best instagram content I’ve seen - check her out on What’s Alicia Cooking. I admired her extensive food knowledge the most in the competition. Most of her food is modern Mediterranean, drawing into her heritage.

Alicia Nicola

Andriette De la Harpe

Andriette is ever present! She has so much personality, it bubbles over. She has the loudest voice in the room, and brings a lot of joy and positivity. She is incredibly loving and friendly. Whilst I always saw confectionary as my weakness at MasterChef, this is without a doubt one of Andriette’s strengths. She is the queen of cakes and if you’re looking for a beautiful, delicious tasting celebration cake, you don’t have to look further than Mond Vol!

Where is Andriette now?

Andriette now runs a bakery called Mondvol. She started out selling cakes (Baard and Co. even stocked them! Now she sells cookies too, they are delicious! Crunchy on the outside, and gooey on the inside.

Charmaine Govender-Koen

Charmaine has an incubator-style food stand at Makers Landing, and if you happen to be around, you absolutely have to try her butter chicken! She sells her dishes both fresh and frozen, so you are spoilt for choice. I recently bought some of Charms’ kitchen masala mix and it’s a perfect base for a brilliant curry. You can follow Charm’s Kitchen on Instagram as well. During the competition, Charms and I bonded over the fact that we both had to leave our children behind. Charms’ daughter is similar in age to mine. It sure wasn’t easy leaving our families behind whilst in the Covid bubble on set!

Dedre ‘Didi’ Stols

Another lady on the team that I had some solid conversations with during our time in the competition. Didi used to work on the ships until Covid made ‘ship life’ between challenging and non-existant. Her adventurous spirit and high energy matches this well , however she is also an incredible cook with loads of talent. Follow her on happididi!

James Ovendale

I have seen James wear the funkiest outfits this world can find - I love that he is very comfortable to stand out! The world (and this competition would be a gloomier place without James) and I think he’s a real treat for TV! No wonder M-Net described him as “this season’s lovable wild child”! Yet make no mistake, James is also a true master in the kitchen and at making ice cream. He attended culinary classes at Silwood Culinary School and his cooking is South African-inspired.

Lisa Kayster

Lisa is incredibly sweet and gentle. I have loved getting to know more about her and her family. Lisa was very open about her history and where she grew up. Throughout the competition, Lisa loved using statistics to predict the outcome of the challenges.

Luyanda Mafanya

This Queen of Social needs no introduction - she is already famous! With 120k followers on her ’Cooking with Luyanda’ Instagram page, she’s a foodie inspiration. Luyanda thrives in social environments and so it should come as no surprise that being a contestant on MasterChef South Africa wasn’t her first appearance on a reality show: she was also a semi-finalist on My Kitchen Rules! In the MasterChef competition, I saw Luyanda was clear headed and focussed.

Masedi Mabe

Masedi definitely became one of my buddies on the show. He is super chilled and very calming. He is an unbelievable person to talk to - so much depth to him.Still waters run deep, the expression goes, and this is definitely true for Masedi. In the competition, Masedi was cool as a cucumber - no challenge seemed to intimidate him. In Johannesburg, Masedi runs burger joint Bun2Belly.

Matthew Arnott

Matthew is an incredibly talented cook. He is a quiet soul, yet like Masedi has so much depth to him. I got to know him to be very gentle and caring and I have since learned that he took a year off to care for his mother when she contracted Covid-19 - I’m not surprised. Matthew was possibly the most empathetic contestant on the show.

Mohammed Haffejee

Mohammed is a go-getter and very focussed. He is technically very strong in the kitchen. On Instagram, he is known as The Suited Chef and this title suits him well. I've gotten to know him as someone who enjoys the finer things in life and this reflects both in his outfits and his dishes.

Onezwa Mbola

I really connected with Onezwa, and had some really good conversations with her. I don’t think I’m alone in this, as it seemed Onezwa got on with all of the contestants. Being on MasterChef is exhilarating but also exhausting, and Onezwa had the ability to get a great nap in when the rest of us could only (day) dream of that. This sure made me envious!

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Ontiretse ‘Onti’ Molloyi

Onti is beautiful, both inside and out. She is well put together, and is very classy in the way she dresses. I can only imagine she is an amazing mother to her two children. Her passion for food is so evident and I’d vote her to be “most likely to be successful in food” if this were a high school yearbook entry. You can follow her journey on her Instagram page ontimolloyi.

Silindokuhle ‘Sli’ Moroke

Sli is the funny man and I can remember some classic comments where he came up with his spot-on one liner jokes. He has a very dry sense of humor, which I appreciate. Particular in the heat of the kitchen, his sense of humor got me through some of the stressful times. Other than that, Sli is also unbelievably empathetic and I connected with him a lot. His Instagram page heartyandhomecooked currently has 14,3k followers and I’m sure that’s about to blow up!

Simphiwe ‘Sims’ Kubeka

Sims is another jovial character and it’s great to have him around as he is always positive in any situation. The world can be falling down around him - he’ll still see the positive. You can follow his journey on its.the.sims! Sims is a natural baker, with a clear understanding on how to deliver technically challenging confectionary dishes.

Sylvie Hurford

Sylvie is the funky mom. She is a very caring and nurturing person and a much loved person in the group. We could always trust Sylvie to ensure there was a positive group dynamic between all of us, despite us being competing against each other. I’m envious of her already having published a cookbook which interestingly is about allergen free cooking for kids. You can check her out on sylvie_hurford.

Tarryn de Kock

Tarryn is a deep soul. She always dresses uniquely and has her own amazing signature style. She’s very close to her mom and sibling and I enjoyed listening to all her stories about growing up in the restaurant industry. She is extremely knowledgeable when it comes to food and fierce competition for me!

Tasnim Jadwat

Tasnim has a great sense of humor, and always made everyone laugh in the kitchen. She is very driven and motivated. Her willingness to be daring and take a risk in the kitchen made her a worthy opponent and I was most impressed with her plating. Since we are not given the opportunity to taste each other’s dishes, we end up gauging each other’s abilities by the way the food looked and her dishes always looked amazing!

Tembisa Jordaan

Tembi is a very intelligent, sweet person.True to South African produce with an appreciation for South African heritage dishes, she was a worthy competitor! Besides cooking against each other, we had some of the deepest conversations about the South African economical and political landscape, particularly around white privilege and the contrasts between different South Africans and the opportunities for each of them. I sincerely appreciate Tembi’s open nature and I think this is what has made her successful in her other pursuit of filmmaking. Tembi has some amazing ideas of how she is going to take her exposure on MasterChef forward to tell stories that were previously untold, and I can’t wait to see her succeed there!

Udhir ‘Dr Harri’ Harrinarain

Dr Harri always has a good story to tell. He is very entertaining and always seeks to have a good time with everyone. His baking skills are next level, check out his goodies on his Instagram page. As a dentist Dr Harri brought an extra dimension to the group and he always had some oral health tips with his fellow MasterChef SA contestants!

Shawn Godfrey

And then there was me, The Roasted Dad.

I sure felt the ‘imposter syndrome’ being surrounded by so many talented individuals, many of whom seemed to know and have experienced so much more than me when it came to cooking. Having said that, I would probably be described by my fellow contestants as the nerdy one. I studied my butt off to fill the gaps that I felt I had. I pushed myself to a whole new level and embraced the experience with all its challenges. At the end of it all, it was about the experience and making the most of it.

The Judges in MasterChef South Africa Season 4

Gregory Czarnecki (@czarneckigregory) was born in France and trained as a chef in his motherland. He worked in Michelin-starred restaurants in Paris including Restaurant Senderens (with mentor and three-star Michelin chef Alain Senderens), Lucas Carton and Pergolése. He opened two restaurants in Brussesl named Genéve and Lyon. Greg has lived in South Africa for over a decade now. As head chef at the restaurant at Waterkloof in Somerset West from 2009 to 2020, he won the Chef of the Year award in 2016 and the restaurant was named Restaurant of the Year in 2018. Sadly Waterkloof closed its doors in 2020. After being judge on MasterChef South Africa season 4, Greg became the head chef at the Cape Grace Hotel.

Zola Nene (@zola_nene) started her culinary journey at the Institute of Culinary Arts (ICA) in Stellenbosch and was known for appearing on the Expresso Show (read my blog post on what it was like for me, to cook live on the Expresso show) and she appeared alongside Gordon Ramsay on National Geographic’s ‘Gordon Ramsay: Uncharted” and on “The Great South African Bake Off”. She is also a cook book author and published three cook books. Her second book Simply Zola was awarded the Gourmand World Cookbook Award in 2019. Her latest book Simply Seven Colours (first published in 2022), celebrates South Africa’s rich food traditions, something that also came through in the Seven Colours episode on MasterChef season 4!

Justine Drake (@justinedrakecooks) , like the other judges, needs no introduction in the food world. She has been in the food media industry since 1988 (a year after I was born! But I won’t remind Justine of that). She was the first editor of Pick n Pay’s Fresh Living magazine and she has worked at magazines like Fair Lady and Men’s Health. She is currently the content director at Dentsu Creative.

MasterChef season 4 started airing with the first episode on February 28th 2022. With four episodes a week the story unfolded quickly.

On this blog I have tried to expand on the journey, to give fans of the show some backstage details on what went on behind the scenes of MasterChef South Africa Season 4.

Subscribe to my newsletter to get news and updates, and of course follow me via Instagram. Winning MasterChef was only the beginning, and the best is yet to come.

The first version article was published on 4 February 2022 to introduce the contestants of season four..

It was updated in 2024 to include the contestants of the new MasterChef season (season 5).

About Shawn Godfrey

Photo credit: Niki M Photography

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