He is officially off the market and set to marry his partner this coming weekend.
This year, the host of the Masigoduke drive time show on Umhlobo Wenene FM, Amaza Ntshanga turns 43 and believes that it is time for him to settle down with a wife and children.
“It took me time to find the right person for me. Someone who understands me, my work, life, and my dreams,” he says.
Their relationship was love at first sight. They met in 2016, while he was living in Cape Town, and he knew she would one day become his wife.
“People write a long list of expectations of what they want from a partner or a wife. I don’t, I believe that if you connect with a person, we connect. We vibe and she was the missing piece of the puzzle,” he says.
Not yet ready to share her name until his big wedding day, Amaza says he was looking for someone outside of the entertainment industry.
“She is not in the entertainment industry; she is in investments. It was important for me to find someone who is not in the media space. Someone who will have time for the family and to build a warm and comfortable home for our kids.”
On the weekend of 27 November, they will host a wedding celebration at his partner's home in Queenstown, Eastern Cape, and a white wedding celebration in his hometown of King Williams Town.
“We were supposed to get married in April last year, but the lockdown happened again, and we had to postpone,” he says.
Amaza paid lobola for his bride to be in 2018 and they welcomed their girl and boy twins Melo and Enzo (3) in 2019.
“They are the best thing to ever happen for us. They are a true blessing and having happy and healthy children is the most important thing for us,” he says.
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Amaza has been doing radio for 22 years and on Umhlobo Wenene FM for 16 years. With many years of experience, he still learns a lot from his listeners.
“The mistake that a lot of broadcasters and presenters make is believing that they know everything,” he says.
“Yes we put extensive research into what we do, so we are able to teach people. But being the voice does not mean you know everything. I’ve learned to be a listener and not just a presenter or a talker,” he says. His career has been full of ups and downs, and a few regrets along the way but radio is still his passion.
“Radio is full of instabilities, and you approach situations with that in mind,” he says.
“You are always afraid that when they chop and change staff members every year, you might be next, and you are constantly living in fear. I wish I was not living in fear and was more daring earlier in my career and had invested in property a long time ago. I would have had a few properties by now,” he says. “But overall, my journey has been nothing but full of lessons that I would not trade for anything,” he says.
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The past two years have been tough for many people due to Covid-19 including Amaza, who in 2020 lost his sports presenter Loyiso Sitsheke.
“It was a few months into Covid-19, I was with him at work on Tuesday, we said our goodbyes and we were supposed to meet the next day,” he says.
“We were supposed to have a pep talk before the show but he didn’t show up. His son phoned to say that he had passed, and I could not believe it. That was a great loss for the show and the station,” he says.
The pandemic has taught Amaza to appreciate the small things in life.
“One thing I took is that I need to live to the fullest. Do what you need to do now because you don’t know what tomorrow holds because tomorrow is not guaranteed,” he says.
“We are always complaining, setting goals and standards. But forget to appreciate the small things, having a roof over your head, having a family and people you love, and having food before you go to bed. It’s taught me not to take anything for granted.”
Soon, Amaza wants to venture into television. “I am a broadcaster through and through. This is all I know. I don’t like to limit myself and my next move is to present a talk show and later move to producing and directing,” he says.
