He may have decided to pursue his career late in life but actor Sipho Ndlovu is steadily solidifying his name in the television sphere.

Ndlovu is best known for his character as Sambulo Zulu on Showmax’s The Wife, which he carries quietly in the background in the squad of brothers. Ndlovu's character is considered a man of action, an acting challenge he gladly accepted.

“It all started back in 2004 when I’d do theatre plays in high school. I was 17 at the time and I used to enjoy rehearsing my lines with my teacher ahead of performing at other schools," he says.    

“The first time I saw the brief for my role [Sambulo]… I was like ‘okay’, I could do this. I’ve read the books and found them very interesting. I then went to audition. There was a huge turnout of people auditioning for The Wife but I went there with the mindset that I was going to get the role of Sambulo.

“His personality is way too different from mine; I can talk a lot but Sambulo, on the other hand, is so quiet. He is very reserved and secretive. He can’t express himself. All he does is lash out.”

Born and bred in Rietspruit near eMalahleni in Mpumalanga, Ndlovu grew up as a bubbly and talkative child who knew life as an actor was all he wanted to be. Although he had honed his acting skills at a young age, the 36-year-old who stepped into the TV industry in 2016 holds a bachelor of arts degree in communications from the University of Limpopo that he supported by taking extra drama classes.

His life was not an easy one; after a car crash that left his mother dead and his father hospitalised in 2005, Ndlovu found himself living alone for two years when he was in grades 11 and 12.

"My older sister took my two younger siblings to live with her in Limpopo. After my mother's funeral everyone from both my families were indecisive as to who had to take me in, I ended up destitute with no place to stay. 

"Fortunately, I had good friends around me who could see that I was having it tough. A friend of mine took me in and I'd spend three or so months living with him and his family. I'd rotate around living at the homes of the group of friends I had at the time.

"I won't lie, that part of my life was embarrassing. Imagine starting grade 8 with everything provided by your family to ending your schooling year with just a pair of school shoes. The way things were bad I even tried to end my life but I failed. I then decided that I needed to quit school but my teachers wouldn't allow me, they instead told me I could wash their cars and do their gardening in exchange for money."  

His father's leg never fully recovered and he had to go back to his hometown to be cared for by his relatives. This was when Ndlovu realised he had no choice but to become a success in life. 

“After graduating in 2008 at Turfloop, I went to my father's home in Manyeveni Village outside KaBokweni in Mbombela. I was told that there was a government office that was looking for someone who studied communications. So I applied and ended up doing my internship there,” he says.

“While I was busy working a corporate job, I realised that I was getting bored… it was the same thing over and over every day. That’s when I thought ‘no, I have to do something about this!’”

The biggest shift in his life was when he spotted his friend and former drama classmate Kope Makgae, professionally known by his stage name Tswyza and his role as Mrekza on Generations: The Legacy, that Ndlovu was motivated to assume his position in the acting industry.

“I knew I liked acting and even though I wanted to have something concrete because of the nature of the industry, I could see my ‘acting chair’ waiting for me – that’s when I decided to come to Johannesburg in 2016 to try it all out.”  

Finding the right agent for Ndlovu was a tedious process. He went through various agents, professional and not-so-professional ones, a light through his dark tunnel started beaming when he finally landed his very first advert later in the same year.

“After the Hello Buyer advert, a lot of agents started growing interest in my name. When I’d apply, they started to answer my application.”  

Things started looking up  and he finally landed a television role as Zolile in the four-episode series, Side Dish Dilemma, on SABC1. “When I got to the audition, Mandla N from BlackBrain Productions told us not to pay attention to the celebrities who were around us on set. He told us to give our lines our utmost best.

“That’s when I felt free to showcase my acting skills. Even though there were many celebrities auditioning on that day, I made it through and ultimately landed the role.

“That’s when I knew I was not going back to my corporate job because I finally found my purpose,” he says.

Although he’s been acting professionally for six years, Ndlovu described his journey in the industry as challenging as his footprint was not a steady one in terms of the acting gigs he got.

“What I’ve noticed is that it’s better to get a leading role in a soapie or telenovela, that way you are more consistent. However, if you get a gig on a 13-episode production, you’d wonder where to go next once it's done. You’d have to go back to auditions and hustling.

“I won’t lie, I enjoy the process. Today I could be working and the next day I am not… it’s never discouraged me because I love what I do. I am a hustler and I know how hustlers hunt.”