Actor Thabo Mkhabela can hardly leave the house without someone mistaking him for his Skeem Saam character Leshole.

Leshole's bad luck has seen him often become the talk of social media, with fans even threatening to boycott the show if he is not given nice things every now and then.

His storylines have also made him one of the most recognisable characters on TV screens and speaking to Ouparazzi TV Thabo said he was often mobbed by fans who mistook him for his character. He said they often giggled in delight and laughed at him. 

“When I come across people, they treat me like Leshole. They giggle and laugh."

He said that he was not offended by it and would probably do the same if he was in their shoes.

"Somehow I don’t blame them. It is the same thing I would do if I met Mr Bean. I will laugh and do all those things."

Speaking to SowetanLIVE's sister publication TshisaLIVE last year, Leshole said the problem came when people thought they owned him and told him what to do, as if he isn't a human being.

He recounted a time when his character pretended to be someone else online, a practice called catfishing, and he was reprimanded for it by fans in real life.

"They would come to me and shout at me. They would tell me how to behave and tell me what I was doing wasn't right. They don't mean harm, they are just excited. But something needs to be done to educate people. They need to know what happens on TV isn't real."