Dube Opens Up About His Journey in the Big Brother Mzansi Bazozwa House
Finding his back into the Big Brother Mzansi house, former housemate of the Umlilo season, Dube, was one of the contestants afforded a second shot after being given a spot in Biggie’s Bazozwa chapter. Born Mpendulo Dube, the ex-contestant from Jolivet, KwaZulu-Natal had his eye on making the most of his redemption arc after spinning the block, though it wasn’t meant to be as the 22-year-old student got booted out on the weekly Sunday Night’s Eviction show held on the 15th of February 2025.
We caught up with the former Bazozwa housemate, who talked about the things that inspired him to rejoin the fray.
“I came back to Big Brother Mzansi because I felt it was an unfinished story, unfinished business. Last time, I entered through the back door and got out the same way; I didn’t even get to see the pool or even smell and feel the grass. So when the call came through, it was a no-brainer because I never got to spend even a week in that house. So why not? One thing my dad always told me is: “What are you so afraid of when you have nothing to lose?” That’s why I grabbed the opportunity with both hands. Another thing that was integral to me coming back is the people who have been rooting for me this whole time, telling me that they’d love to see me on the show. Those comments definitely influenced me because the people never got to see me being a housemate but were already showing me a lot of love,” he said.
Dube | SUPPLIED
Over the years, Big Brother Mzansi, and even the entire franchise held in different countries, has established itself as a slice-of-life game show where players enter the space with a game plan in mind to win over the hearts of viewers. Dube talked about this dynamic and admitted that his approach was to present the most authentic version of himself, a Dube he hoped people would love because he was already proud of that presentation.
“Even though I came into the house a second time, I didn’t see myself as someone who had actual experience to play the game. I feel like whatever strategy I would’ve used wouldn’t have been 100% anyway because that was going to be my first time using it. The best thing I did for myself was telling myself that since I didn’t get in the last time, what I would do the second time around was simply being myself instead of using and changing strategies. Because to me, I wanted to know that whenever I left the show, whether on the third or the fourth week, people would’ve already seen the Dube that I know and the one that I am proud of as well. My other hope was to also leave as a better Dube, which I feel did happen,” he said.
He revealed that he was able to be himself because of the constant surveillance, pushing him to be the truest version of himself.
“When it comes to the different types of Dube that exist, I can say that they are the same but not everyone gets to see. On the show, there were cameras on me 24/7, but in the outside world, it’s not so. Right now, I’m chilling with different people who get to experience me for a couple of hours before I leave. Then I get to hang around other people for a while. Even with family, they get to have me for some weeks before I have to go back to res and resume in varsity. All these people don’t get to have me for 24 hours, except maybe my high school friends and people who know me closely, enough to tell apart the different Dubes that exist. Because of this, I decided to go all out on the show so that everyone will get to see Dube at his fullest on the show,” he said.
Dube in the house | SUPPLIED
Dube reflected on his journey in the house and highlighted what he was going to miss the most about being a Bazozwa hopeful.
“Some of the things I’ll miss about the house are the fights we normally had when it was time for Wager presentation as a house. Some people would want to wager 70% while others wanted to go all in, and then there would be those who didn’t read the brief properly and misinterpreted it, causing fights and whatever. Another aspect of Wagers I liked was that I found it challenging and it forced us to branch out and do things we’ve never done before. Like, there’s public speaking for instance. There was painting – I had never done that before. So I’ll definitely miss that because in the outside world we don’t really challenge ourselves that way. I’ll also miss the Afterparties and the situations that were funny to watch as an onlooker sitting on the side. For example, sitting back and knowing a fight might happen because you know a certain housemate is prone to cause troubles once they drink above a certain limit,” he said.
Dube shared the importance of information exchange with strangers and getting to know other people instead of standing aloof and keeping people at arm’s length away from him when they don’t necessarily see eye-to-eye.
“One thing I learned in the house is that you not liking a person or vice versa, once you get in a confined space with such a person you’ll want to try to get to know that person because the conversations that will be had won’t just affect you but the rest of the people around you. In life we are all playing the same game. We are all trying to get to the ideal life, but we all come from different backgrounds. So, when I was in the house, I got to hear other stories from all these people about their lives, where they come from, and how far they have come. It was a mind-opening experience that was also shocking in certain times. It doesn’t matter the age or whatever, there is always something valuable that you can learn from someone else, even if you don’t like them,” he said.
Dube next to housemate Didi | SUPPLIED
Dube revealed where the road will be taking him after Big Brother Mzansi.
“There’s going to be a lot of content creation coming up. I won’t specify what exactly I’ll be doing or pinpoint which apps I will be on. But once I start pushing stuff out, everyone will know. So if it’s fashion, I’ll put out some vlogs about it and do brand-related content to go with that if the brands come knocking. Another thing on my mind is continuing with school because I’ve been juggling my academic life with the content creation, so I want to shift my focus to securing my degree in Digital Art,” he said.
Dube had some wholesome parting words for his followers.
“The love my followers have shown me has not gone unnoticed. Their support kept me pushing and it’s what influenced me to go back to the Big Brother Mzansi house again. So I can say that I became a housemate only through the people. I love everyone who believes in the dream and loves Dube for being Dube, and people who also believe that Dube can be bigger than what he already is right now. Young as I am, I hope that I have been an influence for people to believe in themselves, no matter where they are, what position they are in right now, and where they come from, and to know that better days are coming,” he said.