29 March, 2019 - 08:01
In this weeks episode of the Showmax Original Trippin With Skhumba, the 2018 DStv Viewers Choice Award: Favourite Comedian winner and 2017 Comics Choice Comic of the Year visits Salesmans childhood home in Mabopane township outside Pretoria - as well as the tavern that gave him his break, the stage he was sjambokked on, the stokvel he still gives money to, and the freeway he nearly died on...
Here are seven things you should know about Salesman, who won the Non-English Comic Award at the 2017 Comics Choice Awards:
#1. Salesman has been in eight car accidents
Salesman meets Skhumba at the freeway where he had his eighth car accident, when an oncoming car swerved onto his side of the road as he was driving to Monsterlus for a wedding. I almost died on this road, Salesman tells Skhumba. It was bad... All I could do was protect my face. As long as my tongue is safe because I need that for work.
Salesman jokes that he must be a cat with nine lives. This is where I lost my eighth life; Im now left with my last one.
Skhumba says that explains Salesmans distinctive voice: Your accent dude. Your meow thing... You sound like a cat.
#2. Salesmans real name is Ditshego, which means laughter
Skhumba doesnt believe Salesman when he says that his real name is Ditshego, which means laughter. But Salesmans mom confirms the story. Its even on his ID, she tells Skhumba. His father named him Ditshego. He said the way he makes jokes hell make the whole world laugh.
And thats happening now, Skhumba says.
#3. Salesman was the fifth kid - and has three himself
Salesman has four older siblings. According to the look of things, they were well off, Salesman says. But when I was born the wealth was depleted. The first four children depleted it and Im the skinny one to show that things were bad.
He has three children himself - Zainab, Sharifah and Magdi. When Skhumba asks why theyre not called Dipuo or Zinhle, Salesman explains that hed converted to Islam then.
#4. Salesman converted to Islam and changed his name to Jafar Sabiq
Salesman converted to Islam after a year that included accidents two to six, and saw him lose his job and be declared medically unfit to work. When things start looking bad... your praying becomes so sincere, Salesman says. The closest people who gave me the motivation of good behaviour were Muslims.
When Skhumba teases him about changing his name to Jafar Sabiq, Salesman replies, Wait til you have problems; you just might be Mohammad next week.
#5. Salesman is part of a stokvel
Salesman takes Skhumba to his stokvel, where he makes his contribution so that I can save up for better things. As Salesman puts it, This is the mini insurance for us comedians.
Get More Film Business South Africa
Select your Membership
This has Skhumba in hysterics. Salesman has a pocket book where they sign if hes made payment or not. Ive never seen anything like this. With all the money were making in the industry, this guys still part of a hundred-rand stokvel...
#6. When Salesman started, vernacular comedy was rare
Salesman takes Skhumba to Kokis Tavern, where he got his break as a comedian. When I started in the industry, vernacular comedy wasnt common, he says. Everybody would run to make English jokes so that they can also attract the corporate side.
He says telling jokes in the rowdy bar was the best training. You get to check the weight of your material because these people wont lie to you... But if they love you, they will love you for real.
And love him they did: when Salesman was nominated for the Audience Choice Award at the 2016 Comics Choice Awards, the tavern even offered free beer to people who voted for him often enough...
#7. Salesman once got sjambokked on stage for stealing a joke
Salesman takes Skhumba to Morula Resort, where Salesman was sjambokked by Roni Modimola for allegedly stealing his jokes. Salesman went straight to the police station to have Modimola arrested. I went there crying, he says. I put Vicks on my eyes.
Salesman denies he stole Ronis jokes. Maybe some of the jokes might have been similar but they werent presented in the same way.
But he admits the incident pushed him to be more original. Now that this had happened, people would be listening with the intent to hear if Im not stealing anyones jokes. That was pressure to me, that whatever I come with, its a hundred percent me... And I think that opened the creative mind.
New episodes every Thursday, only on Showmax
Trippin With Skhumba, Showmaxs first vernacular Original and first Original reality series, releases new episodes every Thursday. Previous episodes have visited 2016 Comics Choice Native Tongue winner Mashabela Galane in Moletjie, Limpopo; 2018 Native Tongue winner Siya Seya in Motherwell township in Port Elizabeth; 2016 Intermediate winner Schalk Bezuidenhout in Kempton Park, Gauteng; and Celeste Ntuli, the most nominated comedian last year with Skhumba, in eMabuyeni, just outside eSikhawini township in KwaZulu-Natal. Next Thursday, Skhumba will head to Bloemfontein with 2016 Comic of the Year winner Tumi Morake. The first season will end on Thursday, 11 April 2018 with a two-hour stand-up special, featuring Skhumba and his guests, as well as one new comedian from each hometown visited.
Watch the first five episodes of Trippin With Skhumba first and only on Showmax: https://www.showmax.com/eng/tvseries/n0rcixt9-trippin-with-skhumba.
About Trippin With Skhumba
In each 30-minute episode, Skhumba will drive a fellow South African comedian back to their hometown, exploring places that wont make any tourism brochures and stories that would be edited out of any authorised biographies.
Trippin With Skhumba is directed by Vincent Moloi, who won the 2019 Best Director: TV Drama SAFTA for Tjovitjo and the 2018 Best Director: Documentary SAFTA for Skulls Of My People.
Most recent headlines
05/01/2027
Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...
07/10/2026
Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, today announced the latest Long-Term Supported (LTS) release of Dalet Flex. Build...
06/09/2026
June 9 2026, 23:00 (PDT) Dolby and MagentaTV Bring Fans Closer to the FIFA Worl...
19/08/2026
As the cost of IP nears price parity with traditional SDI, Reynolds argues that ...
19/08/2026
A private 5G bubble was chosen instead of traditional broadcast RF for the race ...
19/08/2026
(L-R) Rafael Manuel and Isabel Sicat attend the Filipi ana premiere during the 2026 Sundance Film Festival at The Ray Theatre on January 23, 2026, in Park Cit...
19/08/2026
Studio owners invited to have their say on rates cuts
The Music Producers Guild (MPG) are inviting UK-based studios to take part in an in-depth survey that ...
19/08/2026
Vintage-inspired desktop interface revealed
Harrison's latest hardware offering sees them head into the world of audio interfaces, delivering a 10-in/12...
19/08/2026
Granular effect remains locked to scale and tempo
Described as your dream granular effect , Minimal Audio's latest creation is capable of turning any s...
19/08/2026
First polyphonic SWAM instrument incoming
Audio Modeling's latest physical-modelling orchestral instrument is just around the corner, and is now availab...
19/08/2026
World Cup Games Generate 84 Billion Minutes Across FOX, Fox Sports 1 and NBCU...
19/08/2026
July brought typical peak-holiday drops in viewership, driven primarily by viewers stepping away from screens and a visible decline in reach across both traditi...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Henry joins BCE as the company accelerates its commercial strategy and expands its international presence across the media, broadcast and technology markets. He...
19/08/2026
iWedia, a leading provider of software solutions for connected TV devices, today announced a major milestone in Android platform optimization with the successfu...
19/08/2026
NTP Technology announces that ST 2110-30 audio-over-IP connectivity with AES67 and RAVENNA capabilities is now available for the brand's world-class audio i...
19/08/2026
Net Insight has been selected to provide its Nimbra platform by the service provider Big Blue Marble, formerly ORS Group, as the core media transport solution f...
19/08/2026
LiveU has supported Coventry City FC and several other top-flight UK football clubs through one of their most demanding live production challenges of the year, ...
19/08/2026
Nature Seekers Documentary Shot with Blackmagic URSA Cine 12K LF
Brie Clayton August 18, 2026
0 Comments
Filming endangered turtles required camera...
19/08/2026
Neyrinck Brings D-Control Consoles Back to Life on Apple Silicon with D-Control ...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Share
Copy link
Facebook
X
Linkedin
Bluesky
Email...
19/08/2026
Riedel Communications today announced that Edith Cowan University (ECU) in Perth, Australia, implemented a comprehensive communications infrastructure that brin...
19/08/2026
QuickLink, a leading provider of award-winning video production and remote guest contribution solutions, will spotlight a major leap forward in remote guest con...
19/08/2026
Integrated platform melds media asset management, playout automation and newsroom workflows
EMAM, PlayBox Neo and SNEWS have officially launched Nuvex, a conne...
19/08/2026
Screen Australia releases the Private Investment Toolkit to strengthen screen in...
19/08/2026
Do Aussies truly value local content? Unpacking Screen Currency 2026 with Deirdr...
19/08/2026
There's an early Christmas gift for Bookish fans, as UKTV confirms the re-commission of the hit U&alibi drama, created by and starring Mark Gatiss. Viewers ...
19/08/2026
Wednesday 19 August 2026
Sky gives sports fans the chance to watch multiple liv...
19/08/2026
On Saturday September 5 Katie Taylor will step into the ring for the fight of her life against Flora Pili in front of 80,000 fans in Croke Park. A legendary fig...
18/08/2026
SportStream 2026, a free three-day virtual event, will take place September 15-17. One registration provides access to all three days of live programming and on...
18/08/2026
BeckTV will introduce BeckFlow to the European market at IBC2026, demonstrated on the Providius stand (10.F53).
BeckFlow is a web-based schematic documentation...
18/08/2026
Boland Communications will introduce a SMPTE ST 2110 input option for its 4K monitors at IBC2026, along with a new 55-inch super-narrow bezel display for video ...
18/08/2026
Dolby Laboratories and the Seattle Seahawks have announced a partnership integrating Dolby OptiView into the Seahawks' live streaming coverage, making the S...
18/08/2026
For BMG Executive Producer of Sports Production, Graham Taylor, producing live s...
18/08/2026
TMRW Sports has appointed Rufus Hack as President of Golf, a newly created role in which he will lead the company's golf businesses including TGL presented ...
18/08/2026
SMT will provide race technology for FOX Sports' coverage of the Freedom 250 Grand Prix of Washington, D.C. on August 23, when the NTT INDYCAR SERIES races ...
18/08/2026
The live, YouTube-native roundtables combine fan voices, credentialed reporters,...
18/08/2026
Behind The Mic provides a roundup of recent news regarding on-air talent, includ...
18/08/2026
The industry legend sounds off on replacing the Heat's iconic Medusa score...
18/08/2026
William F. Rasmussen, the sports fan-turned broadcaster and entrepreneur whose out-of-the-box idea of a 24-hour cable sports network, ESPN, changed forever the ...
18/08/2026
DAZN Group has completed its acquisition of ViewLift, a provider of streaming and digital solutions for sports content owners. The acquisition was first announc...
18/08/2026
The American Association of Professional Baseball (AAPB) has added SI TV, Sports Illustrated's 24/7 streaming channel, as a broadcast partner for the remain...
18/08/2026
The Esports Foundation has announced that the inaugural Esports Nations Cup (ENC), originally scheduled for November 2026 in Riyadh, will be postponed to Novemb...
18/08/2026
Diversified has announced a new Global Managed Services Practice, consolidating the company's managed services capabilities into one organization. Rob Mello...
18/08/2026
Appear has completed a proof of concept with Thoroughbred Racing Productions (TRP), demonstrating multi-camera remote live production over bonded 5G cellular an...
29 March, 2019 - 08:01 
