The 42-year-old played MaMdabe Mchunu in season one of the 1Magic telenovela Lingashoni. She is also a choreographer and has presented many works. He made her debut performance art piece, Sacrament, in 2001.
Hlengiwe Lushaba
Hlengiwe Lushaba is co-founder of the Johannesburg-based alternative cultural space The Plat4orm.
Quick Facts
Name:
Hlengiwe Lushaba
Born:
3 April 1982 (age 42 years old)
Place of birth:
KwaMashu, Durban, South African
Nationality:
South African
Parents:
Khosi Lushaba (mother)
Education:
Theatre, Dance, Singing, and Acting
Alma mater:
Durban University of Technology
Occupation:
Actress, choreographer
Spouse:
Madlala
Children:
4
Residence:
Johannesburg, South Africa
Early Life
Hlengiwe Lushaba was born on 3 April 1982 in KwaMashu township, north of Durban, South Africa. She grew up in a religious family.
Her father was an iJuba rep preacher and businessperson, while her mother, Khosi Lushaba, is a pastor and counselor. She participated in church activities and aspired to be a known musician, actress, and TV personality.
Education
Hlengiwe attended Dalu xolo Primary School in Gezinsila and Whetstone Primary Grade in Durban from 1978 to 1993.
In 1994, Hlengiwe began her studies at Our Lady of Fatima High School in Durban and graduated with a diploma in 1998. She studied Theatre, Dance, Singing, and Acting at Durban University of Technology (then Technikon Natal), graduating in 2002.
Career
Hlengiwe has appeared in many television and theatre productions. She played Khetiwe in seasons three and four of the SABC1 drama series Gaz’lam, replacing actress Mbali Ntuli.
The Durban-born actress also appeared in the SABC1 reality series Life’s a Stage. She is also a choreographer and has presented many of her works. She did Sacrament, her first performance art piece created in 2001.
In 2002, the same year she graduated from university, she won the FNB Vita Award for Most Promising Dancer. She also did It’s Not Over Until the Fit Fat Phat Lady Sings and Is This Africa and Put a Cross on the Appropriate Woman.
Hlengiwe presented Ziyakhipha Come Dance With Us at the Grahamstown Festival and bagged the Standard Bank Award in 2006. She won the Gauteng MEC award for the Most Remarkable Original Choreographic Work.
In 2007, Hlengiwe created her work Lest We Forget and showcased it at the Johannesburg Dance Umbrella Festival.
Hlengiwe has performed in many theatrical shows. She has played roles in African Queens, Lost in the Stars, Hairspray, Far from the Madding Crowd, Touch My Blood, And the Girls in Their Sunday Dresses, and Modus Vivendi.
Hlengiwe Lushaba has also worked with other legends, including Alain Buffard on Baron Samedi and Princess Mhlongo on Trapped.
She was nominated for the Naledi Award for Best Supporting Performance in a Musical and SAFTA Golden Horn Nomination for Best Supporting Actress in 2024.
Personal Life
Hlengiwe Lushaba is married to Madlala. The duo has four children, three daughters and a son. They welcomed their first child in 2001 and their lastborn in 2011. She resides in Johannesburg, South Africa.
