Meet Sbusiso Leope aka DJ Sbu, CEO MASSIV METRO, Mofaya Drink.
Sbu Leope (also known as DJ Sbu) is a South African radio DJ and television presenter.
He is the only child of his parents, he started his schooling at Welamlambo Primary School. In 1993 he matriculated at Central Secondary School in Pretoria.
Sbu then went on to study Sound Engineering at African Media University. He has also studied electrical engineering at Technikon Witwatersrand for four years.
His broadcasting career began in 1998 while doing some voluntary work on Thembisa Info Radio, a community radio station. For 18 months he produced and presented a popular weekend show.
In August 2000, Sbu joined popular South African radio station YFM, where he produced and presented a weekend show called Beauty and the Beast with Angela Ludek.
He filmed a movie called Hang Time in July 2000, featured on Generations in June 2000, Isidingo in March 2001 and starred in a drama series called It Rained Last Night.
Sbu also did a World Online commercial in December 2000 and a Toyota Tazz ad.
He also wrote a monthly column in Y-Magazine about up and coming DJs. In addition Sbu judged a DJ Vinyl Experience Meltdown Competition every Friday on DJ Fresh’s show the Easy Drive.
Sbu then continued his television stint and presented a talent search youth show called Gumba Fire, which was broadcast on SABC1.
His dream was to venture into other aspects of production and this became a reality when he became the host of Friends Like These and the co-owner of a record company namely TS Records.
He was appointed as a radio jock on YFM in October 2005 for a show called the Y-Lens which was successfully executed, but due to more important commitments he had to resign.
Sbu hosted the SABC1 game show Friends Like These for its first 13 seasons, from 2003-2016. He was replaced for Season 14 by Trevor Gumbi.
In 2015, He went on stage at the Metro FM Awards and advertised his Mofaya Drink, and as a result he was fired from Metro FM and because the SABC also owned the TV side, he was also fired from the SABC 1 TV show, “Friends Like These”.
“No1 Knoxman” as he is known from his township, says he had to go back to the hustle and sell his energy drink at the streets. He says that even his “celebrity” friends did not want to help market the MoFaya Drink by even taking a picture holding the can. It seems as if all doors were closed for him.
4 years later, DJ Sbu has managed to open his own radio station named MASSIV METRO which turned 3 years on the 1st of May and his MoFaya drink is now selling at all Pick n Pay stores and in a number of supermarkets.
DJ SBU has written several books on how to be successful enterpreneur including “Billionaire Under Construction” and “The Art of Hustling” available in various bookshops in South Africa. He has also been invited several times to speak the Harvard Business School and has continued to prove to be a dedicated and committed enterpreneur.
Lesson: If you believe in yourself and believe in what you stand for, you will never give up even when all doors are shut on your face.