Hlubi Mboya is a woman with many facets. She is a South African film and television actress, a social entrepreneur, an activist (civil rights and social justice), an educator, an athlete, and a fitness enthusiast. Widely known for her exploits in front of the camera, the award-winning actress whose career spans over a decade has gone beyond entertaining us through her outstanding movie performances to creating ways to put a smile on the faces of people by providing scholarships for those who are interested in filmmaking.
As mentioned earlier, Hlubi Mboya is also an activist who speaks out on issues concerning gender equality. Her acting career has not been an easy ride for her but she has remained consistent and worked hard to become the woman she is today. Life seems to be treating her so well at the moment. Aside from the success she enjoys in her career, Hlubi Mboya is also married to the long-time love of her life and things seem to be going on really well for them.
10 Facts To Know About Hlubi Mboya
Hlubi Mboya is best known for being an actress, though she has other endeavors that are capable of making her famous as well, it is undeniable that she is more famous for appearing in several notable South African movies and TV series. The beautiful and multi-talented lady who has been ranked on the FHM magazine’s 100 Sexiest Woman In The World on five different occasions is very good at bringing her movie characters to life.
Her outstanding performance in the movie Dora’s Peace saw her win the award for Best Supporting Actress at the 2017 South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTA). She has also received a Golden Horn Award for Best Supporting Actress. Her career success and personal life are worth learning about, so here are 10 things about her that you will find interesting.
1. Hlubi Mboya I 45 Years Old
The South African amazon you know today as Hlubi Mboya was born on the 2nd of March 1979 and she is 45 years old. She does not exactly have the kind of stories that viewers are always drawn to – what you would refer to as a “grass to grace” story. The truth is Hlubi Mboya grew up in comfort as she was born into a privileged family.
Moreover, grass to grace story is not exactly what matters, as long as it ends in success and the beginning was only a stepping stone. Not much is known about her parents or educational background, but we know that she attended Rustenburg High School. She has a sister whose name is Kuli Roberts who is a TV presenter and a fashion and beauty magazine journalist.
2. She Is Best Known For Her Role In Isidingo
In the late months of 2002, Manaka Ranaka who played the role of Nandipha Sithole in Isidingo for seven months was fired and she was replaced by Hlubi Mboya. She took over the role of Nandipha Sithole, an HIV-positive patient. She did so well with her interpretation of the character and her efforts made the character of Nandipha Sithole one of the viewer’s favorites on the show.
As expected, this ‘fan love’ also rubbed off on Hlubi Mboya as she became one of the favorite actresses of the series. This role gained her a lot of recognition and played a role in launching her into stardom. She has since admitted that she never envisaged that playing that role could give her so much fame.
3. She Took A Break From Soapies And Made Her Comeback In 2014 With A Role In Rhythm City
After playing what we can call her breakthrough role from the year 2002 to 2011, Hlubi took a break from acting in television series. She did not disappear from the acting career altogether but she took only movie roles. We do not know whether it was a deliberate decision not to take up roles in TV shows or whether the roles did not come to her. However, knowing the talents the actress possess, we do not see the possibility of the latter.
Hlubi Mboya had a free ride and made appearances on several South African films while on the ‘soapie break’. During this time, she was featured in movies like A Small Town Called Descent in 2010, How to Steal 2 Million in 2011, and in 2013, she featured in Death Race 3: Inferno and Avenged.
She made her big comeback to the world of soap operas in 2014 when she joined the cast of e.tv’s Rhythm City to play the role of a businesswoman named Thandeka. Hlubi landed another job with Mzansi Love 2 in 2014 when she was called to play the role of Khanyi in the TV drama Last Resort.
The actress was particularly excited about this role because it was different from what her fans are used to seeing. The role of Khanyi is that of a “sexy ass villain” which was in contrast to the gentle and lovable roles she had always portrayed. She was happy that viewers were going to see how good she is in other roles.
Since 2014, she has gone ahead to be featured in movies like Dora’s Peace (2016) for which she won an award a Golden Horn Award for Best Supporting Actress in a Feature Film. Hlubi Mboya also starred in the Netflix original I Am All Girls in 2021 where she played the lead role of Ntombizonke who is a troubled detective with dark secrets but yet so powerful.
4. Hlubi Mboya Sees Working As An Actress As A Challenging Career
In 2016, Hlubi Mboya took to Instagram to let her followers know that in reality, the life of those in the entertainment industry is not always as beautiful as it looks on screen or on social media. According to her, being a black woman who is 38 years old (at the time) was challenging and sometimes she had to work really hard only to get crumbs.
She, however, did not fail to mention that she feels very lucky and blessed to have been able to push her career in acting this far, even though the road has not been without obstacles. She said in her own words, that she has been beaten up in the business and it has not been all rosy.
5. She Is A Civil Rights Activist And Social Entrepreneur
The legendary actress is not only good at acting in movies and entertaining others. As a matter of fact, Hlubi Mboya is also a phenomenal lady when it comes to becoming a voice for young ladies out there. Her goal is to see to it that young black ladies in the entertainment industry get what they deserve and are not looked down on because of stereotypes.
Hlubi Mboya is one of the founding members of a non-governmental organization called Sisters Working in Film and Television (SWIFT). The aim of the organization is to see to it that females in the entertainment industry are treated with equity and equality and she is very passionate about being a part of the NGO.
According to her, the number of women who are trying to make a name for themselves in the entertainment industry but end up becoming victims of sexual harassment is nothing to write home about and the difference in the pay of male and female actors is another cause for alarm. The NGO launched a campaign known as #ThatsNotOk to shed more light on what sexual harassment in the entertainment industry looks like both from the perspective of the victims and perpetrators.
Hlubi Mboya is the executive director of Future CEOs, a non-profit organization that aims at helping start-up businesses with management and career development initiatives. She is also a director at the Sunshine Cinema, an organization that uses flexible educational and interactive content, media training, and workshop to address social and environmental challenges via a partnership with communities.
6. She Is The Ambassador For The Nelson Mandela Library Project
Hlubi Mboya is the ambassador for the Nelson Mandela Library project in South Africa. The aim of the project is to bring change in communities by planting libraries in them. According to Mboya, the communities where libraries have already been planted are experiencing massive improvements, seeing that there has been a drop in the number of teenage unwanted pregnancies and HIV transmission, as well as an increase in the way students now spend more time in school.
She goes on to add that though we live in a time where the moral compass for the young ones in society is almost non-existent anymore, she tries not to always see things from a negative standpoint and that she has a passion for writing because reading is a part of her life. Hlubi Mboya believes that reading and writing lead to freedom of expression that has to be protected.
7. She Loves Being An Inspiration To Young Ones
Hlubi Mboya is someone who just does not want to be remembered in years to come for being a phenomenal actress only, she also wants to leave her name and impact in the sand of time as someone who touched so many lives.
According to the seasoned actress, she is constantly working with youths and she loves the fact that they are given to things that add value to them. Mboya currently nurtures upcoming young female actresses and is also inspired by what young people in the industry are doing.
8. Hlubi Mboya Is A Happily Married Woman
While her career front is doing absolutely well, the award-winning actress is also a successful woman on the home front. On the 15th of November 2015, she tied the knot with her long-term boyfriend Kirsten Arnold – who is now her husband.
The lovebirds who dated for 13 years before officially getting married have been in the union for almost six years. Hlubi Mboya who was so excited about her marriage said he had already paid lobola for her since they started courting and marriage was just an act of solidifying things. Owing to the fact that she is a woman who is proud of her race and ethnicity, she had a beautiful Xhosa wedding.
Sadly, we don’t have information regarding how they meet and whether it was love at first sight or if they found love as friends. Notwithstanding, all that really matters now is what they have and how they feel about each other.
9. Hlubi Mboya And Her Husband, Kirsten Arnold Are Yet To Have Children
Kirsten Arnold, the lucky man who has swept the heart of the beautiful actress, Hlubi Mboya, away is a financial consultant. This is definitely something different from the areas Mboya is involved in but despite the differences in their careers, they seem to have understood each other’s work demands.
She refers to her husband as her best friend but admits that as a couple, they are not free from the fights that couples usually have. Albeit, she sees those arguments as a validation that there is constant communication, and her husband who didn’t think he would have put in extra efforts to make the marriage work has had to learn of the importance.
In 2018, she told Drum that as a couple, they look forward to that stage of their lives where they will have their children running around the house, however, to date, there is no record of them having a child yet but they remain hopeful that it will happen for them soon.
10. The Actress Is An Athlete And A Fitness Enthusiast
Hlubi Mboya seems to be involved in a lot of things, thanks to her multifaceted talents and abilities. She does not let an opportunity to improve herself pass her by. Be it in her career or personal life, Hlubi Mboya is driven by a constant desire to improve herself and doesn’t mind going to extra mile to achieve that. If there is one thing Mboya does not like, it is a comfort zone.
As someone who is a sucker for keeping fit, Hlubi Mboya has been part of the Absa Cape Epic, climbing Mt. Kilimanjaro, riding the world’s toughest mountain bike stage race, and so many more fitness adventures. She is someone who is thrilled about adventures and according to her, that is what keeps her focused on the training each time she has to stretch her body.
