R720,200 will go to U-turn, an NGO which addresses homelessness
Deal or No Deal Celebrity, the exhilarating game of chance where glamour meets goodwill, delivered plenty of nerve-racking rollercoaster moments in 2025—all for a worthy cause. In the second season of SABC’s immensely popular Saturday night game show, a bevvy of celebrities raised an impressive R1,307,727 for charity.
The show, which spans 52 episodes and will run until mid-2026, has been divided into four blocks, each featuring 13 big-name stars who, one by one, brave the notorious Deal or No Deal banker on behalf of a charitable organisation. Up first was Jumping Kids, an NGO providing much-needed assistance to children with lower-leg amputations. The baton was then passed to U-turn, which opens doors for people experiencing homelessness. Right now, the celebs’ winnings are donated to Unchain Our Children, whose mission is to combat human trafficking, child abuse and gender-based violence.
In a festive-season good-news story, U-turn’s run concluded on 13 December with a spectacular total of R720,200.
Among the thirteen famous faces whose gameplay had viewers gasping while trying to accumulate funds for U-turn were Deal or No Deal Celebrity Season 2’s biggest winners to date, Moonchild Sanelly and Ishmael Morabe
The larger-than-life internationally acclaimed musician Moonchild, known for her signature patented blue hair and high-profile collaborations with the likes of Beyoncé and Wizkid, was unstoppable. No wonder, as she told Deal or No Deal host Katlego Maboe, Sir Elton John once called her, raving that she is the “energy the world needs.”
In the craziest episode in the star-studded series ever, Moonchild did what she vowed to do, which is playing the game right until the end without taking any offers from the banker to buy her chosen briefcase. Little did she know that she would knock off all the large sums of money represented by the show’s briefcases at the start of the game in quick succession and end up potentially winning either R1 or R150 000. The forever risk-taker stuck to her guns and opted not to press the LottoStar button for the banker’s final proposed lucrative deal of R89,000.
Moonchild’s wild decision paid off. As she desperately hoped for, the R150,000 was hidden in the briefcase she picked to battle the banker.
However, in the very next episode, the legendary hip-hop, kwaito and R&B star Ismael Morabe, who gained prominence with the prolific band Prophets of Da City and then worked his way all the way to the top as a solo artist, trumped Moonchild’s R150,000 by clinching R160,000 for U-turn.
Unlike Moonchild, Ishmael settled for the banker’s offer, but then the jaws dropped. Inside his briefcase was the show’s jackpot prize of R250,000.
Another celebrity who won a considerable sum of money on Deal or No Deal Celebrity Season 2 was singer, songwriter and poet Busiswa Gqulu. Hot on the heels of Ishmael and Moonchild, she secured R134,341 for U-turn.
Some of the other household names who brought their A-game in the show’s hot seat included actress, model and radio personality Lerato Kganyago Ndlala, Uzalo star Thuthuka Mtembu and MasterChef South Africa judge Katlego Mlambo, who all put their hearts on the line for Jumping Kids. Musician Blxckie also shone for U-turn. These stars all won between R60, 000 and R70,000.
Who knows what the future will hold for Unchain our Children in the New Year? Bongani Fassie and Mandisa Dyanti have already contributed R62,600 and R60,000, respectively, to the charity’s kitty.
All the donations stemming from the celebrities’ winnings are courtesy of LottoStar, the proud sponsor of the show.
Deal or No Deal Celebrity, produced by Homebrew Films for Primedia Studios, premieres on SABC 1 on Saturdays at 18:00.