Desmond Dube Opens Up About Sleeping on Joburg Streets Before His Big Break
- Veteran actor Desmond Dube opened up about his humble beginnings
- He revealed he spent about a year and a half sleeping on the streets of Johannesburg in his early 20s
- The star shared how the late Menzi Ngubane spotted him and gave him his first big break in the entertainment industry
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Source: Instagram
Desmond Dube is one of South Africa's most recognisable faces, but long before the Clientèle Life adverts and the beloved Sasol "Amaglug-glug" commercial, he was surviving on Joburg's streets with very little to his name.
The veteran actor sat down with Relebogile Mabotja on her podcast on 30 October 2026 and got candid about just how tough his early years were, including what he spent his very first paycheque on: lamb.
Dube told Mabotja that meat was never really part of his upbringing, so when the money finally came in, that was the first thing he went for. He gestured with open palms during the interview to show just how generous the cut was, saying it felt like real food to him for the first time.
In a lighter moment, Dube recalled how he admitted to his daughter that he only started eating cheese in his 30s. Her response? "Was there no cheese?" He had to explain that it simply was not something he could afford before then. It is the kind of detail that puts his journey into sharp perspective.
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Most of his pay cheque was saved due to the actor's fear of returning to the streets.
Source: Instagram
From a one-room flat to the streets of Joburg
Dube grew up in Kimberley before making his way to Johannesburg, where he ended up crammed into a one-bedroom flat with 15 other people.
That arrangement did not last, and he eventually found himself sleeping rough in the Johannesburg CBD for roughly a year and a half in his early 20s. He said he came to know the city centre "like the back of my hand" during that period.
His turning point came when the late Generations actor Menzi Ngubane spotted him at Mega Music and encouraged him to join a play, and he was cast. That single opportunity pulled him straight off the streets and launched him into a 26-month tour across Europe.
"It took me directly from the streets to a 26-month tour in Europe," Dube said.
He revealed that his castmates slowly realised that he was homeless despite his efforts to clean himself up before every audition.
Source: Instagram
The rest, as they say, is history. Dube went on to build a career spanning decades, headlining the comedy sketch show Dube on Monday and the game show #Karektas, while also landing roles in internationally acclaimed productions including Hotel Rwanda and The No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency. More recently, South African audiences celebrated seeing him in Netflix's How to Ruin Christmas.
His story stands as one of Mzansi's most gripping examples of what determination and a single chance encounter can do.
Watch Desmond Dube's interview below.
Desmond Dube on how he met his father
In an earlier report, Briefly News shared insight into Desmond Dube's recollection of meeting his late father.
The actor and TV personality inspired viewers who admired him for sharing his story.
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Source: Briefly News
