Quite a sizeable number of South African celebrities get initial public recognition after starring in one popular soap series or another. A well-known member of this influential group is Brenda Mhlongo, the South African multi-potentialite. Brenda Mhlongo is a renowned multi-talented actress, dancer, and singer.
The mother of four has made a name for herself with her many talents and is especially popular among Generations: The Legacy lovers who remember her from a popular character she played on the show.
Brenda acknowledges her wonderful personality as the catalyst for her immense breakthrough and has put smiles on the faces of a lot of viewers since her first on-screen debut. One of Brenda’s many admirable qualities is her ability to create a perfect work-life balance as she steers her blossoming career with one hand while running a beautiful family on the other.
As a modern woman, Brenda Mhlongo is proof that women can have it all, and that motherhood is no hindrance to success. Let’s find out how she manages to do all this and why she is such a respected role model in the movie industry.
The delectable actress was born on 14 August in the year 1980 and grew up in the Durban township of KwaMashu, in KwaZulu-Natal. Brenda lived with her mother while her father moved to Johannesburg in order to look for work to support his family but unfortunately for them, he was murdered brutally when the thespian was only 13 years old.
She launched herself fully into the entertainment industry at the tender age of 16 and attend an art academy called K-CAP, created and run by Edmund Mhlongo, whom she would later get married to. Usually, some people might try to finish school before settling on a well-defined career path but not Brenda Mhlongo.
At that age, it was clear that she already understood what she wanted to become and all it would require. At the time of this report though, the only record of her education happens to be the fact that she attended a Durban-based college.
At the age of 16, Brenda Mhlongo had already kicked off her career in acting. From our calculations, this would mean that she began featuring in minor roles in the late 90s. She acted in really small, forgettable roles, as such, her acting career didn’t really take off until almost two decades after.
Her television debut was in eKasi: Our Stories, which aired on the 28th of July in 2014. Since then, she has appeared in so many other South African television productions, including Ihawu, The Queen, Uzalo, and Imbewu. She most notably starred as one of the main characters on SABC 1’s hit series, Generations: The Legacy in 2016. In this series, she acted as Nandi Mabaso, the wife of Jack Mabaso, played by South African veteran,Vusi Kunene.
Brenda’s versatility also extends to reality television and she has starred in quite a few. She was a contestant on the fifth season of the SABC 1 music talk show, Zaziwa. She also made a guest appearance on the popular television series, Top Billing. A single glance at Brenda’s resume will reveal that she has appeared in some of the country’s biggest television shows in the last couple of years. This is a remarkable feat for someone who was still in relative obscurity just about a decade ago.
The 41-year-old actress has attained such enviable mastery over her craft which has left fans in awe time and again. Even though her track record is full of such excellent role interpretations in movies and television shows, Brenda Mhlongo’s prowess in stage theaters remains one of the most impressive and rewarding aspects of her acting career. The Durban-born Zulu native was a young teenage mother when she first saw the movie, The Lion King. She especially loved it because it soothed her crying daughter whenever it was played.
In 2007 when auditions were open in Durban, the then mother of two dropped everything and decided to go for it. She was hired on the spot to play the part of Rafiki in the ‘Festival of The Lion King’. Later, she was also invited to play in the German-produced version of the play by a Disney executive who was amazed by her stage delivery. Brenda has traveled extensively across the world for her stage performances. Some of the places she has performed in include Johannesburg, Hong Kong, Germany, and North America.
Her most notable stage character to date remains “Rafiki” and she has received two international awards for her role in that play. The awards she won are The Broadway Spain Award in the categories of Best New Artist and the Best Artist categories. Brenda Mhlongo toured the continent of North America for about five years while performing The Lion King.
It appears there is a very thin line between war and peace, especially as it concerns marriage because there genuinely seems to be a battle going on in the Mhlongo family as we speak. Brenda Mhlongo got married as a teenager to theatre director, Edmund Mhlongo, in the year 1998 while she was a student in his art academy, K-CAP. The couple has been blessed with four children and has lived happily together…until now
In April 2021, it was reported that Edmund Mhlongo was involved with another woman – a mistress who has been revealed to be Nkosi Mpanza – without the knowledge of his wife, Brenda. As though being involved in an extra-marital affair wasn’t bad enough, she was said to be already pregnant and that Mr. Mhlongo has secretly paid her lobola. In a doubly ironic twist of fate, the new wife also happened to be a student at Edmund’s Academy, now renamed Ekhaya Multi-Arts Center, and reports say they had allegedly been dating on the low for a long while.
This revelation came as a shock to everyone because no one had the slightest idea that all was not well in the love nest of the Mhlongos. It also showed that the current state of their marriage is such a far cry from the way it was, just over three years ago. In 2018, her husband, Edmund, lovingly presented her with an expensive brand new BMW, as a gift to celebrate her 38th birthday. In pictures uploaded to social media, Brenda was all smiles and it would have been quite unfathomable to imagine that the couple was going through any marital crisis at the time.
However, information gathered shows that the marriage had been strained for a very long time, owing to the actress’ extremely busy work schedule. It is said that Edmund Mhlongo took advantage of his wife’s work schedule (which had seen her relocate to Johannesburg for production) to start the process of marrying another woman. It is not really known if his wife, Brenda was aware of her husband’s affair or not but the 41-year-old actress has not made any comment about the issue since the story broke. An inside source has confirmed that the couple has since split and is awaiting the final annulment of their 23-year-old marriage.
Even though her marriage to Edmund Mhlongo is regrettably going to end on a sour note, the union produced four beautiful children – two daughters and two sons Nozibusiso, Snikiwe, Zama, and Nethezeko Mhlongo.
Her estranged husband, Edmund Mhlongo is reportedly expecting another baby with his new wife, Nkosi. Brenda has always had a wonderful relationship with her children and it is evident in the way they all relate with each other.
