Nomuzi Mabena (born September 22, 1992, Age: 31 Years Old) is a South African rapper, songwriter and musician who came to fame by winning MTV VJ Search in 2012.
Nomuzi Mabena who is popularly known as Moozlie is one of the best female rappers in South Africa and she has gone from just being a rapper to launching her own record label. Since winning the 2012 edition of MTV VJ Search, Mabena has continued to land major TV gigs. With her record label, Moozlie has been keeping South Africans entertained with back-to-back hit tracks.
Although she is not as famous as some of the big names in the industry like Boity Thulo, the fierce rapper and emerging TV star has been opportune to work with some of the best in the entertainment industry, including Somizi Mhlongo and Gemini Major since her rise to fame. She has also found a charming prince with whom she can pursue her career without worrying if he really understands her work demands.
The talented entertainer who wears the career hats of a presenter and singer began her journey to the limelight in 2012 and since then, she has been achieving major career successes. To help you know where she started from and where she is now, we have broken down all you need to know about the Mzansi celeb into 12 fun facts.
- Full name: Nomuzi Mabena
- Nickname: Moozlie
- Gender: Female
- Date of birth: September 22, 1992
- Place of Birth: Benoni, Gauteng, South Africa
- Nomuzi Mabena's Age: 31 Years Old
- Ethnicity: Black
- Nationality: South African
- Zodiac Sign: Virgo
- Religion: Christianity
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Marital Status: Unmarried
- Siblings: 1 sister
- Occupation: TV Presenter, Rapper, Voice Over Artist
- Record Label: Nomuzi Mabena Music
- Nomuzi Mabena’s Height in Inches: 5' 6"
- Nomuzi Mabena’s Height in Centimetres: 168 cm
- Nomuzi Mabena’s Weight: 55 Kg
- Body measurements in inches: 34-24-35
- Eye Color: Brown
- Hair Color: Bald Head
- Famous for: Winning MTV VJ Search in 2012 and her record label
- Nomuzi Mabena’s Instagram: moozlie
12 Exciting Facts About The TV Personality And Rap Queen, Nomuzi Mabena
When you take a walk down memory lane to see how Nomuzi Mabena came to the limelight, you cannot help but applaud her passion for entertainment and ability to take up challenges like starting up her own record label - Nomuzi Mabena Music.
1. Nomuzi Mabena Grew Up In Rynfield, Benoni
The talented singer and radio presenter was born on the 22nd of September 1992 in Benoni, Gauteng. Nomuzi Mabena is one of two daughters born to her parents whose names are not known. Together with her older sister, Mabnena was raised in the small suburb of Rynfield, Benoni, in the East Rand, Johannesburg, by their parents.
She also had her basic education in Benoni. From the facts available to us, Nomuzi Mabena had her secondary school education at Dunstan's College in Benoni where she matriculated. The school where she had her primary education is not known, however, judging from the fact that she grew up in Benoni, it is most likely she attended primary school there as well.
2. She Dropped Out Of College To Chase a Career In Entertainment
Following her matriculation from high school, Nomuzi Mabena got accepted into Varsity College where she was supposed to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts in Communication Sciences. Even though her musical talents were already crying out for expression as a young girl, all seemed to go on well on the academic side of things for Moozlie until 2012 when she decided to audition for the MTV Base VJ Search.
That decision marked the end of her academic pursuits as she won the competition and went on to pursue a career in entertainment, thus, abandoning her school work. Fortunately for her, it was a decision that panned out well because from what can be seen, Mabena has a burgeoning career in the South African TV and entertainment scene.
Winning MTV Base VJ was a major breakthrough for her as it gave her a direct slot to join Sizwe Dhlomo as a presenter and to be featured on Club 808 - e.t.v's popular music show. According to Tim Horwood, Creative Director of Viacom International Media Networks Africa, her outstanding talent and beauty put her in a position to win the competition.
3. Moozlie Left MTV Base In 2016
Upon winning MTV Base VJ, Nomuzi Mabena started working with the channel on the 20th of October 2012 which was the beginning of another journey for her. Being featured on the channel meant she attracted a lot of interest in her direction which made her famous, as well as endeared her to the heart of a lot of viewers. The exposure made Mabena realize that she could reach for the very top of the cherry and so, after working for MTV Base for about 4 years, she left the channel to join VUZU and Channel O Africa.
The move was a huge one for the young entertainment star as she was handed the job of being one of the anchors for a flagship show on Vuzu. The show - V Entertainment - was designed as an entertainment news show similar to E! News where celebrity news and entertainment titbits are aired and she grabbed the opportunity with both hands. However, after one year on the show, it was canceled in 2017 and her time on Vuzu came to an end.
4. She Started Her Record Label In 2017
Besides TV entertainment, Nomuzi Mabena has the big dream of becoming one of the biggest female rappers not only in South Africa but in Africa as a whole. She started her career in music shortly after she broke into the limelight and was signed under Cashtime Life Records in 2014. Her first notable work was released in 2015 - the single titled Don't Panic which featured DJ Speedsta.
After about three years of being a part of Cashtime Life records, the talented rapper who is not afraid of taking bold steps took up the challenge of starting her own record label and in 2017. She launched Nomuzi Mabena Music, a self-styled record label under the management of the SBR Projects Agency.
5. Moozlie Released Her Debut Mixtape In October 2017 Under Her Record Label
Following the successful launch of her own record label, Moozlie released her debut mixtape titled 'Versus'. With the mixtape came three singles - "Recipe", "Getting Cash" and "Bum Bum" - some of which featured notable artists in the South Africa music industry such as Malawian-born South African songwriter and producer, Gemini Major. Mabena's music turned out to be major hits despite the fact that they were her first offering.
She uploaded the songs on her YouTube channel - MoozlieVEVO - which has almost 5000 subscribers. Getting Cash, one of the songs in the mixtape has gotten almost 200k views. Bum Bum feat. Gemini Major has had over 64k views and the other single titled Recipe was the biggest hit of all with over 409k views on YouTube within the space of four years. Still under Nomuzi Mabena Music, a determined Moozlie released her debut album titled 'Victory' on the 7th of September 2018. The album has 12 tracks in it, including Vatela featuring Kid X.
6. In 2018, She Returned To Television Presenting And Show Hosting
Since Moozlie stopped presenting V Entertainment in 2017 following the cancelation of the show that year, she went AWOL from the television space, focusing more on her music career and launching her record label. As she delivered on that front and set her music career rolling, it was time to return to her first love and she was open for presenting and hosting gigs on television.
In 2018, when VUZU revived the V Entertainment show (following the rebranding of the VUZU channel to Vuzu Amp - now 1Magic), it was only fair that Nomuzi Mabena was picked for the re-launch alongside the famous celebrity television personality, Somizi Mhlongo.
7. Her 2019 Car Accident Was Staged As Part Of A Volkswagen Campaign
In 2019, Volkswagen organized the Drive Dry campaign in order to create awareness about the dangers of texting and driving and Moozile was the face of the campaign. It was one in which they sought to gain the attention of the public and they came up with an idea that not everyone seemed to take in good faith.
As part of the awareness campaign, Mabena was going to fake an accident while chatting with her followers on Instagram. And on the scheduled day, the Bum Bum singer came on a live Instagram video while she was driving. While at it, she told her fans that there was a big announcement coming up, and seconds later, as fans watched in anticipation of what the announcement might be, there was a screeching sound which was followed by silence with the live video showing a shattered windscreen for some seconds before the live video session was ended.
As expected, her fans, who were on the live IG chat with her were thrown into pandemonium as they feared the worst had happened. Hours passed and no word was heard from Manena and before you know it, the streets of social media were buzzing on through the night into the next morning with the hashtag #Nomuzi at the number one trending topic.
The panic that was created spread to her colleagues in the entertainment industry as popular celebrities asked anyone who could give more information about the situation of things with the rapper should come forward. Even several South African news agencies tried to contact Mabena and her management to ascertain the state of things but didn't get through to them.
Several hours after the incident occurred (about 14 hours), Nomuzi Mabena surfaced through a statement on social media revealing the fact that she is alive and well and also explaining the reason for the stunt. She assured South Africa that no one was hurt in the staged car crash and that it was meant to drive home the dangers of texting while driving.
However, the whole prank did not go down well with most South Africans who did not hide their feelings towards her and the car company. As a matter of fact, another hashtag #Roast Nomuzi started trending on the streets of social media immediately as people used the hashtag to express their disappointment.
8. With Over 1 Million IG Followers, Nomuzi Mabena Has Several Brand Endorsements
Nomuzi Mabena has been able to gather over 1 million followers for herself on Instagram, people who love what she does and believe in her words. Her huge following makes her a target for brands who need celebrities like her to endorse their brand and drive traffic and sales to their business.
To add to the money she makes from doing music and anchoring shows, she also endorses brands on her social media accounts. Some of such brands include:
- Burger King South Africa
- Cruz Vodka
- Drip Footwears
- Castle Lite South Africa
- Creamy Cafe SA
- Mint Skin and Laser
9. She Sells Branded Merch For Fans Who Want to Associate With Her
Moozlie does not only advertise products from other brands to her social media followers and fans, she has also taken advantage of her large following to create and sell her own branded merchandise.
In September 2020, she announced that she had partnered with Grade Africa to create a limited version of her own merch that comes in different colors with a picture of her looking all swagged up printed on the shirts. She also used the opportunity to do a little giveaway for her beloved fans who would love to have the merch and a lot of them were willing to hop on the giveaway criteria.
10. She Keeps Different Looks
Nomizi Mabena is someone who can keep different looks and still look so beautiful. She can go from wearing beautiful braids to going bald in a few days and still feel so confident about herself. In February, she took to Instagram to share a video of herself having a haircut and going from Afro to bald.
Knowing fully well that it was not going to go down well with fans, she gave a lengthy speech as the caption of the video, telling her fans to bear with her on her new looks. However, irrespective of her hairstyle, she still knows how to look very stylish and attractive at all times.
11. Nomuzi Mabena Has Had Several Failed Relationships In The Past
Moozlie is always known for being very open about her relationships, but the search for 'Mr Right' has not been very rosy for her seeing that she has had to deal with two failed relationships. First, it was with Larryngitis whom she dated at the early stage of her career, but the relationship was short-lived.
Then she moved on to Thomas Gumede, a renowned South African actor, however, their relationship could still not stand the test of time as well. It was rumored that the lovebirds were cut in a love triangle with Nomzamo Mbatha.
12. Nomuzi Mabena Is In A Long Term Relationship With Her Manager
After two failed relationships, Nomuzi Mabena seems to have found Mr Perfect as she has been in a long-term relationship with her manager, Sbuda Roc. The relationship has stood strong for over seven years and the couple seems to have understood each other so well. Considering that they work together, a lot of people have concluded that the relationship is beneficial for both parties.
As much work as they may have to do together, the couple still spends time hanging out and creating happy moments.
