Last week, MasterChef South Africa lifted the lid on the identity of 8 diverse super-talented home cooks who will be cooking up a storm in Season 6, which will reach a much broader audience than before on e.tv.
MasterChef South Africa starts on Sunday, 22 February, at 18:00, and will also be rebroadcast on the channel on Saturdays at 17:00, with additional airings on eExtra on Saturdays at 20:30 and on eReality on Sundays at 17:00.
Now, 7 more contestants are stepping into the limelight. These contestants are young, vibrant, and ready to chase the coveted title of MasterChef and the R1 million prize money.
Pick your favourite:
Lesego
Sweet Sepedi-speaking “daddy’s girl” from Limpopo who brings beauty and calmness to the kitchen.
Lesego Motshana(24), born in Ga-Mabintane, Limpopo, and now enjoying big-city life in Joburg, describes herself as “a shy, daddy’s girl”. However, she oozes confidence when she steps into the kitchen or becomes her photographer brother’s muse. Lesego has also been in the spotlight at beauty pageants such as Miss Teenager South Africa and has appeared on a few television shows.
The cooking experts who have been the greatest inspiration for this sweet and highly imaginative young contestant’s culinary adventures are her food heroines: her mother, who runs a bakery and catering business, and her sister, a Head Chef in New Jersey, United States.
While Lesego still enjoys recreating the South African “Seven Colours” she grew up with, her signature dishes, including the Mexican ceviche tostadas, which her friends can’t stop raving about, reflect a blend of creativity and technical skill. But the superpower she brings to MasterChef South Africa is her remarkable planning and time management. “I’m very organised and in the zone when I cook,” Lesego says.
Beyond all things culinary, inspiring young girls is high on Lesego’s agenda, and it’s no surprise that her dream is to publish a cookbook aimed at children.
Josh
Culture vulture, behind-the-scenes TV guy, and model who listens to opera music while he cooks.
Redhead Joshua Lotz (25), known as Josh, stands out from the crowd – not only for his striking looks but also for his one-of-a-kind personality and intense love of the arts.
This expressive young home cook from Pretoria, who works in the television industry and as a model, began showcasing his exceptional artistic talent through dancing, drama, singing, children’s theatre, and playwriting while still at school. He qualified for the Blackpool Freestyle Dance Championships through his dancing. In addition to these performance art disciplines, Josh also displayed leadership at High School Eldoraigne, which has over 1500 learners.
Josh’s creative flair is evident in the kitchen. When he cooks at home, you will find him listening to operatic music, and the dishes that land on the plate are colourful, bold and unusual flavour pairings, often the result of improvisation, but always telling a story. As Josh says, “For me, the kitchen is a stage where the dish is a special, captivating character that brings together sophistication, comfort and pure magic.”
If Josh wins the coveted MasterChef title, he will open a restaurant that mirrors his theatrical take on food. But his busy mind is already conceptualising a unique television cooking show.
Suhael
Durban karate kid who packs a punch and cooks with precision in the kitchen.
28-year-old Suhael Raghunath is a Durbanite whose pensive nature, boundless curiosity, and relentless drive for perfection make him a powerhouse in the kitchen.
As a picky eater in childhood, Suhael was first drawn to the stove when his inquisitiveness led him to find ingredients that would upgrade his mom’s tried-and-tested family recipes to suit his taste. Over time, this turned into a passionate hobby, shaped by experimentation and hours spent learning from YouTube channels.
Besides constantly soaking up knowledge to enhance his cooking skills, Suhael’s culinary philosophy is also grounded in another of his favourite pastimes – karate and Muay Thai.
That explains why the teachings of martial arts are clearly noticeable when you see Suhael in action when preparing his masterpieces-in-the-making. Precision. Discipline. Focus. Resilience. Self-improvement.
“I always push myself to do better in the kitchen and love how the chaos drives you closer and closer to excellence,” Suhael says.
However, when it comes to seafood, this versatile home cook’s speciality, those who have tasted his scrumptious dishes will argue there is little room for improvement. The hero ingredient in these meals might also have been reeled in by avid fisherman Suhael himself.
Phil
Sharper-than-a-knife Joburg general surgeon with science in his veins and cooking in his heart.
Dr Phil Munda is a 33-year-old General Surgeon who trained at, amongst others, the Chris Hani Baragwanath Academic Hospital, and is now working at the Morningside Clinic, where he performs emergency and elective surgeries. But the good doctor is also an all-rounder – and often simply a cut above the rest. For example, who can humbly say they started reading at the age of 3, read the entire Bible by the age of 4, played lock for the school’s first rugby team, skipped grades because of academic prowess, landed leading roles in plays, and matriculated with 8 distinctions? Even when he shows off his singing at karaoke bars, Phil elicits encores.
All of this aside, Phil is a highly talented cook whose burning desire to win MasterChef South Africa means far more than another feather in his cap. It will serve as the foundation for a broader business plan to invest in the South African food industry by partnering with exceptional chefs needing a helping hand.
Phil’s passion for food was ignited during his time at varsity when he and his housemates turned shared dinners into light-hearted cooking competitions. Those times also instilled in him his profound food philosophy: “Cooking is like alchemy – combining ingredients to create happiness, precious memories, and bringing real magic to the world.”
Karen
Outdoorsy, loving mom from Johannesburg South with an adventurous palate and ability to pin down flavour.
Karen van der Merwe (38), who grew up in the scenic Glenvista area of Johannesburg South, and now resides in Alberton, brings energy, life and gratitude to everything she does. While the kitchen is her “happy place”, she also calls herself “the luckiest mama and wife on Earth” – partly because of her two fulfilling, self-designed jobs. In the mornings, after completing the school runs, she is a well-organised PA at her husband’s engineering firm, and in the afternoons, she becomes the devoted caregiver for her two young children.
Something else that gives Karen immense joy is spending time outdoors and in the bushveld – the perfect tonic for her adventurous spirit, a time to admire animals in the wild, and an opportunity for clay-pigeon shooting, her favourite pastime.
However, nothing matches the thrill of taking a shot at the MasterChef title. Karen will be banking on her previous reality show competition experience and her proven ability to rely on her instincts to pin down a flavour sensation that will surprise the judges. “I think my God-given palate is my strength. It’s something that cannot be taught,” Karen says.
It worked in her favour when she and her best friend, Tenille Dreyer, made it to the final of My Kitchen Rules.
Jeshen
Joburg-based tax consultant and part-time food photographer whose cooking zooms in on the finest culinary details.
Before he carved out his career in Sandton as a tax consultant specialising in VAT, 31-year-old Jeshen Govender spent his life as part of a close-knit Durban family whose lives revolved around food.
Some of his earliest childhood memories unfolded at his grandparents’ catering business, where the skills, stamina, and intricate planning required to prepare dishes for sometimes up to 500 guests fascinated him. Then, he also remembers the wholesome times he and his cousins cosied up in the comforting hum of his family’s favourite gathering spot, their Ava’s busy kitchen.
With so much culinary DNA in his blood, it was only a matter of time before this gentle, super-talented future food star got his feet wet. And so, an ever-evolving passion for different tastes and textures ensued. Today, Jeshen’s sensational dishes, drawing on his South African Indian heritage and travels abroad, are not only a symphony of flavours but also a feast for the eye.
Every morsel of food Jeshen serves reflects his obsession with attention to detail. This all makes sense when you know that he is also a part-time food photographer.
Still, simplicity is Jeshen’s culinary mantra. “Good food comes from care and curiosity, not complexity,” he explains.
Calvin
Italian Stallion from Durban, whose delicious dishes sweep food lovers off their feet.
MasterChef South Africa Season 6’s dreamboat Durbanite is the 30-year-old Calvin Silson. This handsome home cook’s passion for food was chiselled by his Italian heritage and the childhood he spent in the kitchen with his mother and grandmother. Calvin fondly remembers learning to make homemade pasta and sausages from scratch, fascinated by how food could bring people together and transform a moment. Over the past 15 years, cooking has become his creative outlet and source of joy—a way to connect to his roots while constantly experimenting with new ideas.
Calvin describes his culinary style as “Italian-inspired with Mediterranean influences” and admits that this combination is the perfect recipe for impressing his girlfriend.
Furthermore, he loves showcasing his go-to ingredient, which is seafood, celebrating bold, clean flavours and cooking over an open flame. Unsurprisingly, his signature dishes include seared scallops with peas. “I also admire chefs who are disciplined and innovative in the kitchen and strive to apply these qualities when creating my own dishes”, Calvin adds.
If he were to win the coveted title of MasterChef, he would definitely pursue opening a restaurant.