The award-winning actress wears other hats as a businesswoman, model, and farm owner. She has appeared in many shows, such as The Queen, Black Door, and Rockville.
Thabisile Zikhali
From the streets of KwaMashu to the big screen, meet award-winning actress Thabisile Zikhali.
Quick Facts
Full name:
Thabisile Zikhali
Born:
February 1994 (age 31 years old)
Place of birth:
Kwa Mashu, Durban, South Africa
Nationality:
South Africa
Education:
Economics
Alma mater:
University of Kwa-Zulu Natal Duma Ndlovu Academy
Occupation:
Actress
Known role:
Officer Biyela on Uzalo
Sibling (s):
Sindisiwe
Early Life
Thabisile Zikhali was born on February 1994 in Kwa Mashu, Durban, South Africa. She is the eldest of two children and comes from a family of academics, but has loved acting from a young age.
Growing up, Zikhali was good with people’s hair and knew she would own a salon one day. She started making money doing girls’ hair while in primary school. Her younger sister, Sindisiwe, is a law student.
Education
Zikhali studied economics at the University of Kwa-Zulu Natal (UKZN), graduating in 2019. She decided to pursue acting and then attended the Duma Ndlovu Academy.
Career
Zikhali attended auditions for roles. She started in her hometown, KwaMashu, and landed a role in Mzansi Bioskop feature films in 2014. She played the fierce Constable Biyela on the SABC1 telenovela Uzalo.
The seasoned actress acts as Minenhle on the television series Isitha: The Enemy. She played a sex worker on the television drama series The Black Door. She launched a modeling agency in 2014 for girls from Kwa Mashu.
Zikhali has continued to gain ground in the movie industry. She played Nora, a curious radio presenter, in the local action thriller film Alleyway. Her breakthrough role was a lead role in the telenovela The Queen on Mzansi Magic.
Zikhali plays Constable Ntombehle Biyela on Uzalo season 8
The actress joined the cast of the soap opera Rockville in season five, where she played a detective alongside Connie Ferguson.
In 2019, she was featured in Moja Love’s documentary re-enactment on gender-based violence, uFelani. She portrayed the Sweet and confident sex worker at a high-class brothel.
In 2022, Zikhali landed the role of honourable Constable Biyela on the SABC 1 telenovela Uzalo. She has spread her wings across South Africa and other countries, including Nigeria, and has been a nominee for international awards.
Zikhali won Best New Actress at the Scream Awards in Nigeria 2022. In 2023, she bagged two awards, including Best Leading Actress of the Year in South Africa and Best Emerging Star in South Africa.
Aside from acting, Zikhali is a businesswoman and a farm owner and works in poultry and cattle farms. She started farming in 2017 after following in her grandfather’s footsteps. She invested the money she got from her agency in livestock.
She launched a salon called Lavish Beauty in Midrand, Gauteng. She seeks to create job opportunities for young hairstylists through the salon. They will do hair, make-up, nails, and lashes.
Personal Life
Actress Thabisile Zikhali has a younger sister, Sindisiwe, a law student.
