LOCAL actor Carlo Radebe has once again fallen on hard times and is appealing to South Africans to help him out financially.
Radebe became a household name for his portrayal of Duke Ngcobo In “Backstage” and Sello Mvuyane on SABC1’s “Generations”.
He has also acted in local movies such as “Mrs Right Guy”, “How to steal R2 million” and “Amandla”, among others.
But the destitute artist, who has been trending on social media, is struggling to make ends meet as he tries to secure an acting gig.
In a recent Facebook post, he said that it had been years since he last worked and that he was desperately seeking donations.
“Letting u know as my fans that I am still holding on to my game with dogged determination, waiting for the dam to burst & for work to start rolling my way before the year is over,” a part of his post read.
He added: “Been nearly 3 years without work. Nothing lasts forever. The winter of my discontent is surely at its end with promise of work as the year comes to its end.
“Kindly putting my hand on your heart, to boost me one more time with any donation to my account in order for me to survive my 11th hour at the gate.
“Have run out of your kind donations I received in April for only 4 days. Funds I had been receiving were stopped after being promised a job that was never confirmed with me or my agent & an offer for a place to live - all this hype was never confirmed & had me tossed to the wind with no apology or follow up.
“I have been stranded left broke since (the) beginning of June to fend for myself while I wait for work that was due to shoot before the elections.”
He also provided his banking details for those who wanted to assist.
He said: “My account details are as follows-Capitec Bank/Account Holder-Mr LC Radebe/Savings Account/Account Number-1320756954/Branch Code470010.
“I am bubbling to get back to my craft.I have been sieved & well baked for a smorgasbord of a meal...Wishing u too all the best & blessings!”
In April, Radebe trended on social media when he first announced his hardships and asked for financial support.
As his latest post continues to gain traction, his ordeal received a mixed response from netizens.
Many sympathised with him, including @XolelwaMngaza1, who wrote on X: “The situation of Carlo Radebe is really sad (& he's not the first nor last one).
“Do artists have a trade union? Can't they have a provident fund - money deducted monthly from their earnings and should only be made available/paid out to them when they are not working?”
@PitsiAfrica added: “The chat of royalties is important, Carlo Radebe was reported a few weeks ago to be struggling financially, here he is playing a character of a lawyer in the Muvhango repeats, that could have easily been a pay check for him.”
However, others weren’t so understanding, such as.
@mokone_eddie posted: “He has been having a hard time for a while. Is it pride sometimes that one can't just accept that gigs are hard to come by and do a 9 to 5?”
@XtraPolitics added: “Life is not a soapie and Cyril’s economy is not friendly either.”