For Misokuhle Skeyi, leaving the Eastern Cape was a desperate attempt to escape a life in which his dreams were slowly being swallowed up by frustration and drug use.
For Awethu Mbanjwa, the move to Johannesburg was a painful decision driven by the need to build a career and provide a better life for his family.
The two artists left Zwelitsha and Mdantsane respectively in search of opportunities they struggled to find at home.
In Johannesburg, they unexpectedly found another route into the entertainment industry — acting.
Their stories highlight the difficult choices facing Eastern Cape creatives who are forced to leave home in search of sustainable careers.
Skeyi, 28, from Zwelitsha in Qonce, started his career as a DJ and event organiser.
He organised several events, including one featuring Cape Town DJ Cairo CPT.
But when things slowed down in 2023, his stalled ambitions began to take a toll.
“My journey was hard because where I come from there are no opportunities.
“It got to a point where I was depressed and started to use drugs,” he said.
Skeyi relocated to Johannesburg in 2025 to look for work, where he met Bunolo Mohale, whom he credits with introducing him to acting.
At the time, Skeyi had been appearing in YouTube content when Mohale noticed his energy and encouraged him to audition.
His first acting opportunities came as an extra on productions including Emzini, Isitha: The Enemy and KwaBaba.
He has since secured a role on Emzini, which is expected to air in the first week of September.
But for Skeyi, finding acting work was only part of a much bigger personal battle.
He had to confront his struggle with drugs and make a decision to change his life.
“I realised I had to quit drugs because I could see my dreams are getting destroyed and also years are going by,” he said.
Being a role model as a man and father became another motivation to turn his life around.
“I want to be an example to the people I used to live with,” he said.
Mbanjwa, 30, from Mtsotso in Mdantsane, also left the Eastern Cape in pursuit of a better future.
His journey in entertainment began in church, where he discovered his passion for singing.
In 2016, he became a lead singer on an album recorded by the United Sumarian Church.
The following year, he released his first solo album, Kumnandi Ukuhlala Kuye, and later worked as a backing vocalist for Luleka Mhlanga and the late Phumla Mfene.
Funding from Buffalo City metro’s tourism department enabled him to release two more albums, but he said progress in the Eastern Cape remained slow.
He eventually moved to Johannesburg to focus on his career while supporting his family.
“I had to make means to support my family, and be able to build a house, as we stay in temporary homes,” he said.
Like Skeyi, Mbanjwa unexpectedly found a foothold in acting.
He landed extra roles on productions including Skeem Saam, KwaBaba, Isitha: The Enemy and Generations.
He has since moved beyond being an extra, securing a feature acting role on KwaBaba.
But acting has not replaced his first passion.
Mbanjwa is preparing to release his new EP, Uligwiba Lenyaniso, in September.
For both artists, Johannesburg has provided opportunities that proved difficult to find in the Eastern Cape.
But Mbanjwa said it was painful that artists had to leave their home province to pursue sustainable careers.
“I feel like artists in the Eastern Cape do not get enough support for their careers,” he said.
“It is painful that we have to leave our homes and provinces to be able to make a living.”
Despite the challenges that forced them to leave, both Skeyi and Mbanjwa are determined to use their new opportunities to build the futures they had envisioned.
Skeyi hopes his experience will encourage other young people not to allow difficult circumstances to kill their ambitions.
“Never let struggles make you stop chasing your dreams. You have a bright future ahead of you.”
