Dragons’ Den South Africa 2025-2026 | Auditions, Application & Dates

Cape Town – The five South African “dragons” have been revealed who will appear in Dragons’ Den South Africa.

The local version of the international format show on Mzansi Magic (DStv 161) will attempt to find and support local entrepreneurs who have innovative product, service and business ideas.

Dragons’ Den South Africa is produced by Rapid Blue and will start on Mzansi Magic on Tuesday 23 September at 19:00 with dragons Lebo Gunguluza, Vusi Thembekwayo, Polo Leteka Radebe, Gil Oved and Vinny Lingham.

Gil Oved is the only one with prior experience as a TV presenter – viewers might recognise him as one of the former teen presenters of ZapMag on the ertswhile SABC’s TV1, and he also did inserts for M-Net’s Carte Blanche.

Nkateko Mabaso, M-Net’s director for local interest channels calls the five business people “a very impressive collection”.

“The diversity of entrepreneurial spirit and individuality of each of the five dragons is certainly upping the stakes and is likely to play a big part in making Dragons’ Den SA unmissable viewing,” says Mabaso.

Lebo Gunguluza was marketing manager for the SABC’s MetroFM before working at ad agency Herdbuoys and then starting his business Gunguluza Entertainment and Corporate Fusion and then Gunguluza Enterprises & Media.

Vusi Thembekwayo is the CEO of Watermark Pan-African Capital Ltd and is the youngest director on a JSE listed company.

Polo Leteka Radebe is the chief executive of Identity Partners.

Vinny Lingham funded his first technology business at age 24 by selling his house for a R125 000 profit and racking up R75 000 in debt on his credit cards. He started incuBeta, Clicks2Customers, Yola.com and launched Gyft in 2012.

Gil Oved’s online trading venture went bust in 2001 but today he and Ran Neu-Ner helm a R600m turnover company, The Creative Counsel, that employs almost a 1 000 people.