Nomalanga had her high school studies at the Glenhaven Secondary School, after which she enrolled at the University of South Africa to further her studies. She graduated with a Bachelor’s degree in Secondary Education upon completing her studies.
Nomalanga stormed the South African acting industry in the year 2019 at the age of 26. She made her first screen appearance as the character Nobuhle Mthembu in the 2019 drama “Love Lives Here”.
She also went on to bag a lead role in the award-winning short film ‘The Letter Reader’ in the same year. The project won the Golden Horn Accolade for the Best Short Film at the South African Film and Television Award and also boosted Shabane’s growing career.
Since 2021, Nomalanga has been portraying the character Cocoa in the most-watched South African soap opera, Uzalo. She broke into mainstream success through her role in the TV series.
Her character, Cocoa, is a prostitute and gold digger who takes pride in her trade. Though Cocoa has a soft heart, she sometimes bullies people around her, especially her friend Nyawo who linked up with her while searching desperately for a girlfriend.
She is one of the well-loved actresses on the show for several reasons. In addition to her top-notch acting skills, Shabane is a multilinguist. She fluently speaks three languages which are Zulu, isiXhosa, and English.