Pemba's first work was first exhibited at the Feather Market Hall in Port Elizabeth in 1928, when he was sixteen. In 1934, Pemba was treated for a burst appendix and he spent his hospital stay drawing pictures of nurses and doctors.
The debut work by Pemba was initially displayed at the Feather Market Hall in Port Elizabeth in 1928, when he was just sixteen years old. Two years later, in 1934, Pemba received medical attention for a burst appendix and utilized his hospital time to create drawings of nurses and doctors.