Yonda Thomas (born on December 1st, 1985; Age: 38 years old) is a South African actor famous for his role as Mvelo Nobela in Fallen. In recent years, he has become well-known for scoring roles in popular TV series such as Generations: The Legacy. He is married to Mumtaaz “Taz” Emeran, a medical doctor and personal fitness trainer.
After graduating with a degree in Business Administration, the Mthatha native started out as a diplomat. Fate eventually brought him to acting, and Yonda Thomas began his career in 2010. A few years later, he transitioned into a TV star. Thanks to his roles in Isidingo, Seriously Single, Generation: The Legacy, and How to Ruin Christmas. Interestingly, the actor is not showing signs of slowing down any time soon.
Yonda Thomas’ Biography Summary
- Full name: Yonda Thomas
- Gender: Male
- Date of birth: December 1st, 1985
- Yonda Thomas’ Age: 38 years old
- Ethnicity: Black
- Nationality: South African
- Zodiac Sign: Sagittarius
- Sexual Orientation: Straight
- Religion: Christian
- Marital Status: Married
- Yonda Thomas’ Wife: Mumtaaz “Taz” Emeran
- Yonda Thomas’ Children: One (stepson)
- Yonda Thomas’ Height in Inches: 5 feet 10 inches
- Yonda Thomas’ Height in Centimetres: 178 cm
- Yonda Thomas’ Net worth: $250,000
- Famous for: Playing the roles of Mvelo Nobela in Fallen and Lelethu in Generations: The Legacy
- Yonda Thomas’ Instagram: @yondathomas
- Twitter: @Yonda_Thomas
- Facebook: @YondaThomas
How Old is Yonda Thomas?
The Xhosa native, Yonda Thomas, is 38 years old. He was born in the small town of Mthatha in the Eastern Cape and was raised by his mother. Thomas’ father was absent in his life while growing up. Though he yearned for a close relationship with him, he got to see his dad once in a while without him giving explanations of why it was so.
From a Diplomat to a Seasoned Actor
Since childhood, Yonda Thomas has been fascinated by acting. Even though he took part in a few drama classes while in primary school, the 38 years old chose a safer career path by obtaining a Bachelor’s degree in Public Administration.
Upon graduation, he moved to Gauteng Province in the year 2008 to work as a diplomat. During such time, he accompanied his brother to an audition. While waiting in line, he helped his brother to rehearse the monologue given to him.
Seeing that he knew the monologue, Yonda Thomas decided to give the audition a try. Fortunately, he got shortlisted while his brother wasn’t.
He then joined the SABC1 acting competition, Class Act, in 2010 and emerged as one of the five finalists. Though he didn’t win the competition, his performances on the show landed him a representation offer from MLA Agency, owned by Moonyeenn Lee, who served as a judge on the show.
Despite not having formal acting training, Thomas moved on to become the first of Class Act contestants to land a starring role in a soapie. He played the role of a customs officer, Matthew, in Wild at Heart in 2011 and subsequently bagged a three-month contract to play the role of bartender Damon in Muvhango.
The actor then got his big break with the SABC1 drama series, Fallen, portraying the character of Mvelo Nobela in 2011. In the next year, he starred in Mzansi Love: Kasi Style and Room 9.
Since 2013, Thomas has played diverse roles in both TV series and films, establishing himself as a force to reckon with in the film industry. They include a guest role in Isibaya, police officer Majola in Isindigo, Sanele in Doubt, Khaya Manqele in How to Ruin Chrismas series, Max in Seriously Single, Yonda in Happiness Ever After, and Detective Sabelo in Redemption.
What Work is Yonda Thomas Best Known for?
Even though Yonda Thomas had his breakout role with the SABC1 drama series, Fallen, he is quite known by his fans for his portrayal of investigative journalist Lelethu Malinga in Generations: The Legacy. He joined the cast of the series in the eighth season in October 2021 as the younger brother to Detective Malinga (Andile Nebulane) and Siyanda Khoza’s replacement.
With his character joining cartels and the underworlds to expose them, Lelethu brought lots of action to the soapie. Thus, he became one of the Generations‘ favorite characters. Reportedly, he won’t be returning to reprise his role in the 9th season of the series that will premiere in November 2022, as he currently features in BET’s new telenovela, Redemption. And this has left the soapie fans heartbroken.
Yonda Thomas’ Movies and TV Shows
TV shows
- Wild at Heart as Matthew
- Doubt as Sanele Mweli
- Mandiba as Nelson – Teen
- How to Ruin Christmas: The Wedding as Khaya Manqele
- How to Ruin Christmas: The Funeral as Khaya Manqele
- End Game as Thato Dhlamini
- Ambitious as Dumo Cibane
- Isibaya as Tony
- Fallen as Mvelo Nobela
- Liarholics Anonymous as Danny Pule
- Isidingo as Majola
- Gomora as Prosecutor Ndzimande
- Rhythm City as Damon
- Mzansi Love: Kasi Style as Zimele/Nceba
- Maseko Ties as Mike
- Redemption as Sabelo Ben
- Room 9 as Monde Kunene
- Muvhango as Damon
- Generations: The Legacy as Lelethu
- Rockville as Mduduzi
- The River as Morapedi
- Saints and Sinners as Siya Malinga
- Ses’Top La as Guest Star
- Mina Nawe as Pule
Movies
- The Jakes Are Missing (2015) as Detective Miles
- Mrs. Right Guy (2016) as Lesego the Stripper
- Seriously Single (2020) as Max
- Happiness Ever After (2021) as Yonda
Is Yonda Thomas Married?
Yonda Thomas was in a long-term relationship with Mumtaaz “Taz” Emeran for six years before popping the question in December 2021. Though how the lovebirds met is still a secret, they have always cited that their love for each other sprung from years of friendship.
On April 3rd, 2022, the beautiful couple began their forever journey by tying the knot in a Xhosa traditional wedding.
They announced the union by sharing pictures of their wedding on their individual social media handles. Congratulatory messages flooded their timelines immediately. Their beautiful love story started when they first met, and Taz told Yonda Thomas that she had a six-year-old son and she would understand if he didn’t want to stick around. Then the actor’s reply left her astounded as he retorted that they both now have a six-year-old son.
Since then, Yonda Thomas has been hands-on with raising his stepson, Dhayaan Emeran. Despite looking like a match made in heaven, Taz Emeran has disclosed that it hasn’t been a smooth ride for the past years they have known each other. They have fought and clashed many times. However, their friendship bond has left them stuck to one another. The cute couple is yet to welcome a child together.
Who is the Wife of Lelethu from Generations: The Legacy in Real Life?
Yonda Thomas’ beautiful wife, Taz Emeran, is a personal fitness trainer and Wits University medical graduate. She became known on social media for her posts on making fitness a lifestyle and not just for losing weight. She regularly grooms her clients on fitness and serves as the founder of Bootcamp, FlexGrid 320.
Emeran hails from Cape Town and was born in 1993. She grew up in a community dominated by gangsterism and drugs. Although she kept her head straight for some time, she eventually deviated and was negatively influenced by her environment. It was at that point that she got pregnant and had her son, Dhayaan, at the age of 15. He was born premature and stayed in ICU for three months.
With the support of her mother and stepdad, Taz Emeran left Cape Town to attend university. She is now the first in her family to become a medical doctor.
Taz is Forever Grateful to South Africans for Their Act of Benevolence
One year after the birth of her son, Taz Emeran moved to Johannesburg and then enrolled at Wits University Medical School. She struggled to pay her school fees from the first year to the third year. Due to financial constraints, she took a leave of absence for a year. She then got a foundation that agreed to pay her remaining fees and, thus, went back to complete her studies.
After writing her last medical exams on December 8th, 2020, she was notified by her faculty that she had historical debt as her newly found sponsor didn’t fulfill their promise. She was then told that her name will be removed from the graduation list if she failed to settle her debts before December 9th. As a result, she had to share a video on Instagram pleading for assistance with her school fees of about R471,000 in order to graduate.
Thankfully, within 24 hours, South Africans came to her rescue, and she received more than she asked for. Yonda Thomas’ wife shared another video on December 10th, 2020, saying that she had hit her target and the debt had been covered by South Africans. Hence, she graduated successfully and obtained her medical degree. She has remained grateful to Mzansi for their massive show of love.
