Bubu Mazibuko is a 48-year-old South African actress and casting director born on December 13, 1975, and famously known for playing the role of Thuli in Gaz’lam. She married her longtime boyfriend, Langa Masina, in 2016.
Bubu’s acting career began in the late 1990s and she made her film debut in the 1998 movie Desert Diners. She has since gone ahead to feature in numerous films and TV series, including Yizo Yizo, Gaz’lam Tshisha, Zulu Wedding, Catch a Fire, and A Place Called Home. For her role in Gaz’lam, she was nominated for the Best Supporting Actress Award at the inaugural SAFTA Awards.
Bubu Mazibuko’s Biography Summary
- Full name: Buyisiwe Camille Mazibuko
- Nickname: Bubu
- Gender: Female
- Date of birth: December 13th, 1975
- Bubu Mazibuko’s Age: 48 years old
- Ethnicity: Black
- Nationality: South African
- Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Religion: Christian
- Marital Status: Married
- Bubu Mazibuko’s Husband: Langa Masina
- Bubu Mazibuko’s Children: 1
- Siblings: Pumi Lukhele (sister)
- Height in Inches: 5 feet 6 inches
- Height in Centimetre: 168 cm
- Bubu Mazibuko’s Net worth: $400,000+
- Famous for: Playing Thuli in Gaz’lam and Minky in Yizo Yizo
- Bubu Mazibuko’s Instagram: @bubumazibuko
- Twitter: @BubuMazibuko
- Facebook: @IamBubuMazibuko
How Old is Bubu Mazibuko?
Bubu Mazibuko’s is 48 years old. She was born in Soweto on December 13th, 1975, during the apartheid era. Hence, she relocated to Swaziland where she partly grew up, and eventually returned to South Africa in the year 1991.
Bubu Mazibuko’s Family
Bubu Mazibuko was raised by a single mother. She had a strict upbringing such that in 1995 when she had a nose ring, she walked around her house covering her nose so that her mom wouldn’t see what she had done. Bubu has a younger sister named Pumi Lukhele. In September 2021, she disclosed in an Instagram post that her sister survived Hodgkin’s Lymphoma cancer.
Pumi was residing in Mauritius when she was diagnosed with cancer in early 2021. She was then returned to South Africa by air ambulance and upon hearing the news, Bubu Mazibuko’s world came to a halt, as she felt frustrated and helpless. She had to quietly relocate from the United States to South Africa to help her sister in her fight against cancer.
She praised Pumi for her strong will and how she handled life challenges, asserting that she loves being in the company of women of her sister’s caliber.
Bubu Mazibuko Studied Filmmaking in the US
Bubu Mazibuko attended Florence Christian Academy, a boarding school in Swaziland. Afterward, she returned to South Africa in 1991 to further her education, but later moved back to Swaziland to matriculate. She started studying Fine Arts in 1993, however, she landed an opportunity to study Film at the New York Academy.
Unfortunately, her sponsor died two weeks after her arrival in the United States. As a result, Mazibuko had to drop out of the academy. Nevertheless, she stayed back in New York and eventually studied Filmmaking and Drama.
Bubu Mazibuko’s Acting Career Has Spanned Over Two Decades
Mazibuko made her first appearance in a movie in 1998. After her movie debut in Desert Diners, she moved on to feature in a children’s film titled Lost and Found. In 2002, she was cast in Gaz’lam as Thuli and stayed on the show for three years, leaving in 2005. She further had roles in Catch a Fire, Tshisa, and A Place Called Home in 2006.
Bubu featured in over ten productions between 2008 and 2014. They include Gangster’s Paradise: Jerusalema, Hopeville, Man on Ground, Entabeni, My Zulu Promise, Mandela: Walk of Freedom, and End Game. Furthermore, in 2016, she played Busi in the movie For Love and Broken Bones, club patron in Confessions of a Hollywood Bartender, and Mbali Mabaso in Hurry Up and Wait.
In 2017, she was cast alongside Kelly Khumalo, Jerry Mofokeng, and Nondumiso Tembe in the continuation of Zulu Promise titled, Zulu Wedding. She portrayed the character of Sam, one of Lungile Sabata’s (Nondumiso Tembe) best friends in the romantic-comedy movie. In the same year, she played Devon in the short film Caliber and in 2018, she had the role of Lwazi in the TV series The Docket.
Bubu Mazibuko’s Movies and TV Shows
Film
- Desert Diners (1998)
- Lost and Found
- Catch a Fire as Betsy (2006)
- Gangster’s Paradise: Jerusalema as Older Nomsa (2008)
- A Small Town Called Descent as Daphne Mbizo (2010)
- Man on Ground as Lindiwe (2011)
- Gog’ Helen as Amanda (2012)
- My Zulu Promise as Marang (2013)
- The Algiers Murders (2013)
- Mandela: Long Walk to Freedom as Mandela and Tambo’s Client (2013)
- For Love and Broken Bones as Busi (2016)
- Caliber as Devon (2017)
- Zulu Wedding as Sam (2017)
TV Series
- Gaz’lam as Thuli (2002-2005)
- Tshisa as Phumia (2006)
- A Place Called Home as Milhoti (2006-2007)
- Home Affairs as Inspector Chakela (2007)
- Entabeni as Luntu (2008)
- Kruispad as Mrs. Khumalo (2008)
- Hopeville as Faniswa (2009)
- Dream World as Nobuntu (2012)
- End Game as Khosi Hlatshwayo (2014)
- Confessions of a Hollywood Bartender as Club Patron (2016)
- Hurry Up and Wait as Mbali Mabaso (2016)
- The Docket as Lwazi (2018)
Bubu Mazibuko’s Role as a Casting Director
In addition to her numerous acting credits, Bubu Mazibuko has made a name for herself as a casting director. In 2005, she worked as the casting director of Gaz’lam for 26 episodes. She was also the casting director of the TV series, uGugu no Andile in 2008. Interestingly, the 48-year-old worked in the sound department during the production of the blockbuster Hollywood movie, Black Panther: Wakanda Forever in the year 2022.
Who Is Bubu Mazibuko’s Husband?
In January 2016, Bubu Mazibuko tied the knot with her longtime boyfriend, Langa Masina. In preparation for her traditional and civil wedding, Bubu, who resides in Los Angeles in the US, returned to South Africa. Her star-studded wedding was attended by the likes of Sophie Ndaba, Manaka Ranaka, Thandy Matlaila, Craig Jacobs, Kgomotso Matsunyane, and Tony and Sthandiwe Kgoroge.
Bubu and Langa have known each other for over 24 years, as they grew up together. Though they have had their fair share of disagreements, the two have become best friends. Consequently, being married is fun to the actress, as practically nothing has changed in their relationship. She is grateful that she and Langa didn’t get married when they were younger because they would still be trying to figure out themselves.
They are happy they have grown up and understood each other very well. Even though the beautiful couple have known each other for decades, they have been married for a little over six years.
Does Bubu Mazibuko Have a Child?
Bubu Mazibuko announced that she was expecting her first child in May 2023 at the age of 47. Two years after her marriage, the SAFTA-nominated actress expressed her desire to be a mother. Then, on Mother’s Day in May 2023, she revealed in a social media post that she was pregnant. The good news got her family and friends elated and her timeline was filled with congratulatory messages.
Mazibuko admitted that the journey was long and intense and was thankful for her fertility doctors and family friends who supported her and her husband throughout the hard journey. She additionally stated in the post that she couldn’t wait to meet her miracle child, as she was living in one of the happiest times of her life. Bubu Mazibuko’s baby shower took place in July 2023 and she is believed to have welcomed her baby that same month.
