Lusanda Mbane (born on May 16th, 1979; Age: 44 years old) is an award-winning actress, radio personality, public speaker, entrepreneur, and philanthropist well-known for playing the role of Boniswa Langa in Scandal. She has been married to business analyst Luzuko Mbane for 18 years.
Although she began her career in the corporate world, the actress knew she was born for acting. It took her years to pursue her passion full-time, which she eventually kicked off in her thirties. Lusanda Mbane has since achieved incredible career milestones, including founding a foundation, marketing company, and clothing label. She is also a recipient of the Royal Soapie Award.
Lusanda Mbane’s Biography Summary
- Full name: Lusanda C. Mbane
- Gender: Female
- Date of birth: May 16th, 1979
- Lusanda Mbane’s Age: 44 years old
- Place of birth: Butterworth in Eastern Cape
- Ethnicity: Black
- Nationality: South African
- Education: University of South Africa (B.Com in Marketing)
- Zodiac Sign: Taurus
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Religion: Christian
- Marital Status: Married
- Lusanda Mbane’s Husband: Luzuko Mbane
- Lusanda Mbane’s Children: 2; Liqhawe and Lihlome
- Siblings: 1; sister
- Lusanda Mbane’s Height in Inches: 5 feet 4.5 inches
- Lusanda Mbane’s Height in Centimetres: 164 cm
- Lusanda Mbane’s Net worth: $800,000
- Famous for: Her roles as Boniswa Langa in Scandal and Makhosazana in Imbewu: The Seed
- Lusanda Mbane’s Instagram: @lusandambane
- Twitter: @lusandambane
- Facebook: @lusandambane
What Is Lusanda Mbane’s Real Age Now?
Lusanda Mbane, popularly known as Boniswa from Scandal, is 44 years old. The actress looks younger than her age. Because of this, her fans were startled the first time she disclosed her real age. Despite coming from a humble beginning, Mbane was not deterred by her family background. Today, she has become a household name in South Africa.
She Grew Up in Butterworth in Eastern Cape
Lusanda Mbane was born and raised in Butterworth, also known as Gcuwa, located in Eastern Cape. She was raised by a single mother who worked as a nurse and has an older sister. Her father worked as a court interpreter and was not very present in her life while growing up. Having been raised singlehandedly by her mother, the actress was faced with hard times as a child.
When she was younger, she was sometimes ridiculed by other kids because she was poor. Instead of feeling pity for herself, she rather developed thick skin at a young age. She is now thankful for those rough childhood experiences as they have helped to shape her into the woman she has become today. Mbane is multilingual, speaking fluently Zulu and Xhosa.
Lusanda Studied Marketing
Even though her mother wasn’t financially well off to provide her with everything she wanted as a kid, Lusanda Mbane’s education was her mother’s topmost priority. Hence, she joined Clarendon Girls’ High School in East London in the year 1992. She obtained her Matric from the high school four years later. In 1998, Lusanda proceeded to Technikon Witwatersrand.
She graduated with a National Diploma in Marketing from the higher institution in 2000. Ten years later, the Butterworth-born enrolled at the University of South Africa. There, she acquired in-depth knowledge in the field of Marketing. She graduated in the year 2014 with a Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing.
While studying at the University of South Africa, the former Imbewu actress decided to gain entrepreneurship knowledge. And thus, joined GIBS Business School (Gordon Institute of Business Science) in 2013. She was part of the Goldman Sachs GIBS 10,000 Women Programme in Entrepreneurship. After a year of study, she bagged Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Studies Certificate.
Still not satisfied with her educational achievements, the 44 years old moved to the University of Johannesburg in 2016. And there, she earned Honours Bachelor’s degree in Marketing the next year.
List of Lusanda Mbane’s Educational Qualifications
- Matric from Clarendon Girls’ High School, East London (1992-1996)
- National Diploma in Marketing from Technikon Witwatersrand (1998-2000)
- Bachelor’s Degree in Marketing from the University of South Africa (2010-2014)
- Entrepreneurship/Entrepreneurial Studies Certificate from GIBS Business School (2013-2014)
- Honours Bachelor’s degree in Marketing from the University of Johannesburg (2016-2017)
The Actress Began Her Career in The Corporate World While in Her 20s
Even though it’s not certain the year Lusanda Mbane started working in the corporate space, it is believed she kickstarted her career in marketing soon after graduating from Technikon Witwatersrand. It took her some years to climb the ladder to the executive level as she became the Head of the Marketing Department.
Afterwards, she started up a Human Resource Department in the Telecoms and Engineering industries. With the actress occupying an executive position in a corporate organisation, she could only get one week’s break from work to carry out minor acting gigs. Subsequently, she took the decision to resign from her work and concentrate on acting on a full-time basis.
She Joined BrightWave Technologies in 2015
Having been passionate about putting her qualifications to good use, Lusanda Mbane accepted another marketing job in the year 2015. She joined BrightWave Technologies (Pty) Ltd – a metro broadband network and access service provider as the Head of Marketing and Communications. She made a comeback to the corporate space because her position only requires a few hours of her presence and gives her time to focus on her plethora of careers.
Since 2015, she has been associated with the company and plays diverse roles which come with her executive position. She has overall responsibility for generating revenue for BrightWave Technologies. She is also responsible for the development of the annual marketing plan of the organization. Additionally, Lusanda Mbane directs marketing analysis and research to identify trends.
She further coordinates and organizes events such as campaigns and brand activations for the company. It’s also noteworthy that the protean actress works in the capacity of a consultant at BrightWave Technologies. There, she actively consults with company leaders and business units to help them achieve marketing and communications goals.
Mbane Founded Zazi Zithande Zithembe at Age 33
Having experienced financial difficulties when younger, Lusanda Mbane has been focused on making a positive impact in the world through giving back to society. In 2012, at the age of 33, she launched a women empowerment movement called Zazi Zithande Zithembe. Her focus is on the mentorship of young girls, revolutionizing the way they see themselves.
To date, she has visited more than 100 schools in Gauteng, inspiring the youth to have big dreams. Subsequently, the International public speaker established a foundation of the same name, Zazi Zithande Zithembe and has impacted several lives through the non-profit organisation. Following her exit from Scandal, she decided to take enough time to grow her foundation.
She operated it like a side hustle while on the series, which demanded her to be on set for 12 hours every day. Even though she was offered some acting roles at the time, Lusanda Mbane declined the offers. And thus, spent three months building her foundation. She eventually made partners and secured some deals for the foundation.
Over the years, Mbane has carried out philanthropic duties through Zazi Zithande Zithembe Foundation. With a major focus on the empowerment of young people through education, her foundation has made donations to many schools in rural communities. In October 2020, she visited H.H. Majiza Senior Secondary School located in Keiskammahiek, Eastern Cape and made donations of school uniforms and food parcels.
Also, she got a sponsorship to refurbish the school toilets. She works to provide rural schools with the basic things they lack. By doing so, she aims to work on the minds of the youth not to allow anyone or anything to make them feel like they are not enough or capable of achieving big things.
The TV Star Switched to Acting Full-time in Her Mid-30sÂ
While still working as a marketing executive, Lusanda Mbane began her acting career but wasn’t devoted to it. She was scoring minor roles in TV series. In 2009, she was featured in Muvhango as Advocate Macheke. The 44 years old landed another role in the SABC1 drama series, Generations. She portrayed Naomi Malotana in the soapie from 2010 to 2011.
Her performance sprung her to stardom. She, afterwards, increased her height of fame with several other recurring and guest-starring roles. In 2011, Mbane guest-starred in the SABC1 drama series, Soul City as Joyce. That same year, she scored the role of Zodwa, a domestic worker who has come to terms with the fact that she will never settle down with the man of her dreams, in the sitcom, Abo Mzala.
After her depictions in the series, Lusanda Mbane was asked to reprise her role of Zodwa in the second season of Abo Mzala. Sadly, her organisation couldn’t grant her a break to be part of the series. It was at that point that the talented actress decided to resign from her corporate work and fully focus on her passion for acting.
Unfortunately, she lost the role to actress, Thembsie Matu as it took her a while to make up her mind. Upon her resignation, she told her agent to stop looking for minor roles for her again. She made it known that she mostly want lead roles. Luckily for her, she landed her break-out role of Boniswa Langa in the e.tv soap opera, Scandal.
She was initially handed a major recurring role and made her debut on August 26th, 2016 when she was 37 years old. Although the character was meant to be played for two years, Lusanda Mbane’s flawless displays kept her on the multi-award-winning series for five years. Having been on the popular soapie for such a long time, the Eastern Cape native became a TV star.
Why Did Boniswa Leave Scandal?
In 2016, Lusanda Mbane began an unplanned five years journey with Scandal. She was cast as Boniswa Langa, the wife of Siseko Langa (played by Hlomla Dandala). Following the death of her husband, Boniswa turned vicious and would do anything to protect the empire her husband left behind including killing her son-in-law, Romeo (played by Hungani Ndlovu).
At first, Boniswa Langa was supposed to be a sweet, warm, and loving woman. But after some years, her storylines changed and she was turned into a villain that viewers love to hate. Having effortlessly gone into a dark place to bring the character to life, Boniswa became one of Scandal‘s most captivating characters. She became notorious for her volatility, as she could go from zero to a hundred very quickly.
Having become the face of the show, Boniswa Langa’s exit from Scandal shocked the viewers. Mbane explained that her character was meant to be on the show for two years. However, she got to stay five years on the series as the storyline was constantly changed. She then decided with the show’s producers that the character will be written off in 2021.
And that’s why Boniswa died in the series. Lusanda Mbane made her final appearance in Scandal in September 2021.
Lusanda Mbane Transitioned into a Radio Personality at 37
Having the determination to build an illustrious career in entertainment, Lusanda pursued interests in both TV and radio which she refers to as her first love. In the year 2016, when she was 37 years of age, she joined TruFM. She hosted her own show titled, The Nest with Lusanda Mbane. The show talked about lifestyle and trends and also inspired the audience through interviews with celebrity guests.
Later in 2018, she left the Eastern Cape-based radio station. The celebrated actress left as she believed she has learnt everything there was to learn and is ready to take it somewhere else. Unfortunately, she searched for a new radio gig between 2018 and 2019 and couldn’t get any. She then decided to focus on other of her endeavours.
Amazingly, in March 2022, without even showing interest in a radio job, Lusanda Mbane bagged a gig at Umhlobo Wenene FM – Mzansi’s leading Xhosa radio station. She caught the attention of the media outlet following her impeccable portrayal of Boniswa Langa. While on Scandal, she spoke deep Xhosa that people rarely speak anymore.
By always making sure that her character spoke undiluted Xhosa, Lusanda emerged as TV viewers’ favourite Xhosa-speaking actress. She always had a fascination with languages due to her father’s work as a court interpreter. At Umhlobo Wenene FM, she works as the co-host of the Saturday breakfast show, Vuka Mzansi with Spitch Nzawumbi.
She Landed Her First Acting Award at Age 40
Playing Boniswa Langa for five years not only made Lusanda Mbane a star but also showed off her versatility as an actress. It was very taxing for her to portray the villainous character. It required her to tap into her dark side, digging deep into her own emotions. No wonder, she won the Royal Soapie Award for Outstanding Lead Actress in September 2019, at the age of 40.
She also finished second place in the Viewers’ Choice Best Actress Category. The radio personality was grateful to her fans for helping her clinch the award through their votes. She then showed her appreciation by partnering with Eve Hair Luxury to give one of her Instagram followers a wig made by the luxury hair brand.
Lusanda Starred in Many TV Series in Her 40s
Over the years, the Royal Soapie Award-winning actress has featured in a number of TV series. Having attained fame with Generations between 2010 and 2011, she moved on to make her presence felt in the acting scene with the role of Aliah in the SABC 1 series, Tempy Pushas in 2013. That same year, she had a guest starring role as a doctor in the Mzansi Magic soapie, Isibaya.
Even though Lusanda Mbane has been juggling acting and working as the Head of Marketing and Communications at BrightWave Technologies since 2015, she still makes herself relevant in the film industry. In 2016, she portrayed the character of Penney in the second season of Dream World. In the same year, she featured as Boniswa Langa in Scandal and Sis Puleng in the e.tv drama series, Z’bondiwe.
She further had a different role in Isibaya, appearing as Thembi Mdlalose in the sixth season of the series in 2019. Three years later, she played another villain role in Imbewu: The Seed. Her character, Makhosazana was a blast from the past for Menzi Vilakazi (Muzi Mthabela).
The media personality, however, departed from the soapie in late 2022. She is now focused on her radio gig at Umhlobo Wenene FM and business ventures.
Highlights of Lusanda Mbane’s TV Roles
- Dream World as Penney
- Imbewu: The Seed as Makhosazana
- Isibaya as Doctor / Thembi
- Muvhango as Advocate Macheke
- Soul City as Joyce
- Abo Mzala as Zodwa
- Generations as Naomi Malotana
- Good Men as Prudence
- Mzali Wami as Joyce
- Scandal as Boniswa Langa
- Z’bondiwe as Sis Puleng
- Sokhulu and Partners as Nobuhle Pasha
She Works as a Brand Ambassador and Voice Over Artist
Prior to making a name for herself as an actress, Lusanda Mbane, who is undoubtedly multifaceted, has had many voice-over roles and equally made appearances in TV commercials. She has appeared in advertising campaigns for brands such as:
- McCain
- Dettol
- Brand Power
- Knorrox
- Milo
- Kellogg’s (Chocos)
- Rama
- Omo
Additionally, she has carried out voice-over works for several companies including:
- DStv
- Edgars
- The IDZ (Industrial Development Zone)
- Blue Ribbon
- African Bank
- KFC
- UIF
- Sanlam
- SALGA
- ECSA
In 2013, Lusanda emerged as the face and voice of South African Airways. She is featured in the in-flight safety video, welcoming everyone on board and giving important safety information on every South African Airways flight. More so, she served as the brand ambassador of Vodacom SA between 2013 and 2015. And thus, had the role of MaKhumalo in Vodacom’s video titled, The Khumalos.
Lusanda Launched Zazi Zithande Zithembe Clothing Line in 2020
Lusanda Mbane lives by the values of “Zazi Zithande Zithembe.” As a result, she works relentlessly to build a brand around her values. And that’s why she named the women empowerment movement she began in 2012 after her values. Her foundation also goes by the same name. In August 2020, she launched a clothing label of the same name, Zazi Zithande Zithembe (ZZZ).
She has an online store (zazionline.co.za) where she sells her clothing collection, which consists of hoodies, T-shirt dresses, detachable sleeves jackets, and 3-in-1 stylish bomber jackets. She sells the original ZZZ hoodie for R350, whereas the T-shirt dress is sold for R300. The accomplished entrepreneur often markets her products on her social media accounts and appreciates her fans for the traffic she gets on her online store.
In addition to creating the Zazi Zithande Zithembe brand, Lusanda owns Ellenina Professional Recruitment Services. The placement agency was established in 2008 and specializes in Engineering recruitment.
Lusanda Mbane is a Well-known International Public Speaker and MC
Highly focused on changing the lives of millions of people through her diverse endeavors, it’s no surprise that Lusanda Mbane is a seasoned international public speaker and MC. She has spoken to large audiences of international organizations that include:
- Imperial Logistics Africa
- MTN
- Clientele Life
In July 2022, she was chosen to speak at the Makgabaneng International Creative Arts Festival held in Botswana from 5th-7th August 2022. The festival was a platform for those in Creative Industries to network and acquire new skills to expand their enterprises. The 44 years old was handpicked to be a lead master of a Master Class at the festival.
Furthermore, Lusanda Mbane’s emceeing career has seen her bring to life different kinds of events. As an MC, she has hosted weddings, strategy sessions, brand activations, and conferences. Her emceeing career is managed by Putco Mafani Consulting. One of the major highlights of her career as an MC is working as the host of the Buyel’ekhaya Pan African Music Festival, the biggest event in the Eastern Cape events calendar.
Is Lusanda Mbane Married?
Lusanda Mbane is married to Luzuko Mbane. She tied the connubial knot with her soul mate in December 2005. Luzuko works as a business analyst. There are no details about the couple’s dating timeline. Nonetheless, through the actress’ social media posts over the years, it’s evident that she’s enjoying marital bliss with her husband of 18 years.
Lusanda and Luzuko often celebrate their wedding anniversary. Celebrating their 16th wedding anniversary in December 2021, the actress shared a loved-up picture of herself holding hands with her husband on Facebook, calling Luzuko “Husband of the Year.” She didn’t fail to celebrate 17 years of marriage with her hubby the next year.
She describes her husband as a great support in all aspects of her life. Despite Lusanda being away constantly for her acting engagements, the beautiful couple has found a way to work things out in their marriage. The famed MC has once revealed that her hubby doesn’t like being in the spotlight. And once she realized that he didn’t sign up for fame, she stopped dragging him to events unless they were really important.
Despite being married for such a number of years, Lusanda and Luzuko Mbane are still head over heels in love with each other. The two complement one another in every sphere of their lives.
How Many Children Does Lusanda Mbane Have?
Lusanda Mbane is a mother of two. Her marriage to Luzuko Mbane produced a daughter, Liqhawe, and a son, Lihlome. While Liqhawe was born in 2007, Lihlome joined the family a year later. Although the former Scandal star tries to protect her family from the negative effects of fame, having been a celebrity, she occasionally shares photos of her kids on social media.
Since launching her clothing label, Zazi Zithande Zithembe, Liqhawe and Lihlome have been actively marketing the brand. Lusanda wants her children to know that service is a state of being. And that they can be of help to anyone with whatever they have and do so passionately.
