He's that guy. The one who takes his red Smeg kettle everywhere he goes, whether he's out hiking, having fun at events, or taking a long drive.
The popular kettle has even made an appearance at the gym. Which is why he's now known as Mr Smeg on Twitter, and he's embraced it.
Smeg products have always been known to be a status symbol, Michael Mncedi Bucwa found that to be funny. He decided to build a social media persona around his relationship with his red Smeg kettle.
Here's a few facts about the man behind the kettle.
1 His real name is Michael Mncedi Bucwa (36). He was born and raised in NU 6 Motherwell, Port Elizabeth, and is based in Pretoria right now. “I was raised by my grandmother who was a Sunday School teacher and we grew up in a Roman Catholic church,” he tells Drum.
2 Michael says the Mr. Smeg idea came during the lockdown where he spent a lot of his free time on social media.
“I have always had the ability to make people around me happy or laugh. Often my jokes are viewed as dry, but those with a great sense of humour will understand,” he says.
“The Smeg idea came from me noticing how brands play such a big role in people's lives and how being seen with a certain name brand tells the story of the type of person you are.
“Sometimes people who have achieved success and acquired material wealth tend to want to show it off and I found that to be funny because I come from nothing and I had to work hard. So I decided to play on that humor and I became Twitter famous for it.”
3 Michael is a qualified electrical engineer. He graduated with a Diploma from Buffalo City College and did Mechatronics Engineering at the VW Learning Academy. In 2014, he worked as a Technician in East London and moved to Tshwane in 2018.
“I am currently an Engineering Systems Analyst working for a large automotive company,” he says.
4 Mr. Smeg takes his health seriously and can be often seen smashing nine eggs at a time because of his high protein diet. He weighs 80 kilograms and is 179 CM tall.
“I am on a strict Ketogenic diet which is high in fat with adequate-protein and very low-carbohydrates. I fast and do intense daily workouts. I also hold a black belt in Judo,” he says.
5 From his Twitter posts, Michael now has a healthy relationship with Smeg who noticed his posts and his love for their products and they offered him their Smeg Espresso Machine.
And because of his popularity and good looks, he also bagged a deal with Bogartman where he will be featured in an advert and his pictures used in some of their marketing material as an influencer.
