The actor reportedly had only primary and secondary school education and couldn’t enroll in a higher institution of learning due to financial difficulties. Despite coming from a poor background, Dingaan Mokebe’s mum and stepfather ensured that he had his basic needs met. Consequently, the 44 years old is thankful to his parents for shaping him into the man he is today.
After 25 years of living without his biological father, Dingaan Mokebe decided to search for his father in 2013. To his amazement, his father, Mr. Khumalo, didn’t know he existed. They reconciled their differences, and afterward, family rituals and ceremonies were performed to welcome Dingaan to the Khumalo family.
This led to him adopting his father’s surname, Khumalo, and then changing his name to Dingaan Mokebe ka Khumalo. Dingaan now has a good father-and-son relationship with his biological father. He is also happy that his stepfather, who took it upon himself to raise him as his son, gets very well along with his father as well as his mother.
At the age of 20, in 1998, Mokebe trying to support his family financially, took to acting. He landed a role as an extra in Generations and rarely made appearances in the soap opera. Then, his character, who works as a Back of The Moon barman, was promoted to a show regular after he suddenly won R10 million in the national lottery.
However, Dingaan Mokebe’s character remained in the background working as a barman who fears and respects his boss, Sunny Jacobs, despite his newly found wealth. Consequently, his role in Generations confused the viewers and Dingaan as well. He then told the production team his displeasure with his character’s storyline in the show and lack of character development.
This led to him being fired from the show after spending three years portraying the character of a barman. After being released from his Generations contract, Dingaan went on to attend numerous auditions, which were unsuccessful. He eventually clinched the role of Tshepo in the TV series Nna Sajene Kokobela in 2001.
Two years later, he took to center stage once again after bagging a main role in Muvhango, created by renowned producer Duma Ndlovu.
Dingaan Mokebe began playing the role of James Motsamai in Muvhango in 2003 and has remained in the soapie to date. He is one of the lead characters in the show, and his performances in Muvhango for more than 18 years have caused his popularity to grow by leaps and bounds across the country.
Since landing the role of James Motsamai, Mokebe has gone ahead to establish himself in the entertainment industry by diversifying his talent. He has, over the years, worked as a voice artist and TV presenter.
In 2013, Dingaan Khumalo became a household name in South Africa when he took up the role of the presenter of the SABC consumer right show, Speak Out. He served as the replacement of Vuyelwa Booi and Duncan Senye. He debuted in the sixth season of the show and hosted it for three seasons.
Before becoming the host of Speak Out in 2013, the Generations actor worked as the host of the Community Builder Show. During such time, he featured in several commercials for prestigious brands in SA. They include Smirnoff Red, Motsweding FM, Nedbank Million Dollar Challenge, Coca-Cola Mega Millions, and Klipdrift.
In late 2021, Dingaan Mokebe, known as Mr. Serious by Mzansi, decided to show off his playful nature by launching a music career in the amapiano genre. He adopted the stage name DSK, which stands for the initials of his name, as he was given the name Siyabonga by his grandfather.
He collaborated with music artist, Bhubesi to release a single titled ‘Gabadiya’ in December 2021. The two afterward began working on releasing an EP. Bhubesi encouraged the Muvhango actor to try his hands at music-making as he believes that Dingaan has an ear for good music. Dingaan Khumalo is not new in the music arena as he hails from a musical family that was part of a choir when he was growing up.
Dingaan is presently unmarried but has been in a few relationships in the past years. In the mid-2000s, he began dating his Muvhango co-star, Tsholofelo Matshaba. The two were on-screen lovers before the relationship materialized in real life. They dated for five years before calling it quits in the year 2010.
Before the relationship hit the rock, the former couple welcomed a daughter together. In March 2016, Dingaan Mokebe was a guest on Kaya FM’s programme, Home with Mapaseka Mokwele. On the live show, the media personality blasted his baby mama and said he had been denied access to seeing his daughter since 2010. Consequently, he stopped paying his daughter’s maintenance fees in 2011.
He further said that his attorneys have struggled to reach his baby mama regarding the issue. On hearing of Dingaan’s accusations, Tsholofelo Matshaba reached out to Kaya FM and was given a chance to defend herself on air. On the same show, she presented her side of the story, which got Mzansi confused.
She stated that Dingaan Mokebe had never been in her daughter’s life, even when they were dating. As a result, her daughter and the TV presenter don’t know each other. She further stated that Mokebe had never been denied access to see their daughter. Live on air, the actress revealed that she was emotionally and physically abused by Dingaan Mokebe while dating, which contributed to their failed relationship.