MasterChef SA Season 6 Premieres on e.tv this Sunday

Venecia Valentine

The brand-new season of MasterChef South Africa starts on e.tv this weekend, bringing fresh drama, high-stakes challenges and R1 million on the line.

Season 6 of MasterChef South Africa premieres on Sunday, 22 February at 18:00 on e.tv. The new season marks an exciting chapter for the globally celebrated cooking competition as it finds a new home on free-to-air television.

Viewers can also catch:
• Rebroadcasts on e.tv every Saturday at 17:00
• eExtra on Saturdays at 20:30
• eReality on Sundays at 17:00
• CatchUp via eVOD from the day after the premiere

e.tv is available free-to-air and across all DStv packages on channel 194, while eReality is available on Openview.

A Celebration of South African Heritage Cuisine

Season 6 celebrates South African heritage cuisine across cultures. Twenty competitive home cooks from across the country step into the MasterChef kitchen, each hoping to win the prestigious title and the R1 million grand prize.

Contestants represent communities from:
• Malgas in the Western Cape
• Wakkerstroom in Mpumalanga
• Kimberley in the Northern Cape
• Polokwane in Limpopo
• East London in the Eastern Cape
• Johannesburg, Cape Town and eThekwini

Multiple home languages, including Sepedi, isiZulu, English, Afrikaans and XiTsonga, will be heard in the kitchen, adding authenticity and emotional depth.

Judge Katlego Mlambo says the use of mother tongue expression makes the competition more relatable. “It truly makes the emotions the contestants go through in the MasterChef kitchen authentic and relatable.”

High Emotion and Intense Cooking

Judge Chef Zola Nene revealed that Season 6 is packed with emotion and refined culinary skill.

“The first episode took contestants back to their core food memories when we surprised them with a baby picture of themselves and this evoked a special home or cultural meal that left a legacy in their lives.”

At a recent media launch in Johannesburg, five previously undisclosed contestants were officially revealed.

Meet the Newly Announced Contestants

Shoki

Reshoketjoe “Shoki” Ramontja, a 30-year-old Xitsonga-speaking social worker from Malamulele, Limpopo, blends traditional and modern South African cuisine with Asian influences.

Raised in a kitchen filled with love and heritage, she believes food heals and connects. Known by family as the “side-dish queen,” Shoki transforms simple ingredients into elevated dishes.

Her dream is to explore Asian food cultures and incorporate global techniques into South African cuisine.

Myles

Myles Heneke, 35, from the Cape Flats, is a cultural producer, writer and creative change-maker. His cooking draws from Cape Malay heritage, reimagined with bold, experimental twists.

After working under chef Karen Dudley, he developed a respect for layered flavours and storytelling through food. His style merges heritage, activism and modern expression.

Keith

Keith Reddy, 38, originally from Durban, is an HR manager with a love for Indian-heritage flavours and farm-to-table cooking.

He grows herbs and chillies in his urban garden and values ethically sourced produce. His calm, problem-solving personality carries into his cooking style, which blends African influences with Indian cuisine.

Candice

Durban-based Candice Meth, 39, is a healthcare risk management team leader and mother of three. For her, food connects faith, family and legacy.

She honours her late mother, a former MasterChef South Africa contestant, through every dish she creates. Candice dreams of opening a restaurant filled with music, laughter and honest cooking.

Nkululeko

Graphic designer Nkululeko Ngubane, 35, from KwaDukuza, now based in Sandton, approaches cooking with creativity and boldness.

Inspired by MasterChef Australia and Jamie Oliver, he experiments with Greek, French, Moroccan and Mexican flavours while celebrating local staples such as phutu and samp beans.

He describes his style as playful, pressure-proof and boundary-pushing.

Behind the Scenes with Inbound SA

Inbound SA attended an exclusive behind-the-scenes screening in Johannesburg and previewed the first episode, which promises emotional storytelling and refined technique from the start.

With a diverse range of professions represented, from a general surgeon and an attorney to a graphic designer and an electrician, this season highlights everyday South Africans turning their culinary passion into ambition.

MasterChef South Africa Season 6 promises heritage, heart and high-stakes competition, served weekly.

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