A Zimbabwean TikTok creator with more than one million followers has drawn a wave of criticism in South Africa over his audition tape for the lifestyle television show Top Billing, with some viewers calling for a boycott of the programme should he be selected as a presenter.

Ndoyisile Ndumiso Sibindi posted his audition on Facebook this week after producers of the SABC3 show opened a public casting call for its 2026 presenter search. The criticism centres on Sibindi's previous remarks about South Africans, rather than the audition itself.

The backlash has revived a January 2025 video in which Sibindi mocked residents of Tembisa, a township east of Johannesburg, for "overcrowding" the Mall of Africa in Midrand.

"You want to tell me that you guys leave your mall in Tembisa, if there is a mall in Tembisa, to come and overcrowd Mall of Africa?" Sibindi said in the clip. "People are just gallivanting and occupying the mall for no reason. It's so uncomfortable for us, who are claustrophobic."

Sibindi apologised in a follow-up video at the time, saying the skit had been intended as a joke. He has also faced criticism for questioning why public healthcare in South Africa was being denied to foreign nationals.

On X, formerly Twitter, several users said they would stop watching Top Billing if Sibindi was chosen, while others said they planned to submit complaints to the Zimbabwean embassy in Pretoria. Sibindi thanked supporters in a separate post, saying he had not expected the level of positive response his audition received.

Top Billing returned to SABC3 on 30 April after a hiatus of roughly six years. The show, which previously ran for nearly three decades, has said its presenter search is open to anyone aged 18 or over who is legally entitled to work in South Africa. Auditions close on 30 June.

The controversy comes as South Africa contends with heightened tensions over undocumented migration. Anti-immigration groups have organised protests in several cities in recent months, arguing that foreign nationals are competing for scarce jobs and public services.

Sibindi has previously said he moved to South Africa after dropping out of university in Zimbabwe following homophobic attacks, and that his family disowned him. He is based in Johannesburg, where he runs a fashion line.

Top Billing producers had not publicly responded to the controversy by Sunday.