Bio
Mbasa Msongelo is a South African actor best known for his role as villain Vega in the e.tv soapie Rhythm City.
Hailing from Butterworth in the Eastern Cape, he matriculated from PR Pather Secondary School in KwaZulu-Natal and went on to do a BA Live Performance at AFDA.
He made his television debut in the Mzansi Magic TV movie Nyaope Indaba, which aired as part of the channel's "Lokshin Bioskop" strand of telemovies in 2014.
Mbasa played the role of Sibusiso in this story about a group of nyaope addicts who get together to smoke, get high, then pass out. Things take a nasty turn when after waking up, they discover that one of them is dead.
He next played the role of Ndumiso in the SABC1 drama series Kowethu, starring Atandwa Kani and Thando Thabethe, which premiered on 13 October, 2014.
At the same time he began a recurring role as Sabelo Malinga in the Mzansi Magic drama series Saints and Sinners, a role he played in all three seasons, from 2014-2017.
In 2015, he played the title role in the TV movie DJ Shy Guy, which aired on e.tv as part of its eKasi: Our Stories anthology series. The episode first aired on 4 March, 2015.
Just two days later he had another role in a TV movie, this time in Finding My Way Home, one of the "DailySun Movies" strand of made-for-TV movies on Mzansi Magic, which aired on 6 March (Season 6, Episode 49).
Mbasa next landed the recurring role of Paseka on the e.tv gangster drama Z'bondiwe, which debuted on 12 May, 2015. He went on to play the role in the next two seasons as well, in 2016 and 2017.
Another recurring role beckoned, this time as Casper in the Mzansi magic teen drama series Is'thunzi, which follows the exploits of four girls who call themselves Ninjas.
He first appeared in Season 1, Episode 8 (which aired on 28 November, 2016), before returning the following year in Season 2.
Also in 2017, Mbasa landed the role of Vega in the e.tv soapie Rhythm City, making his first appearance on 10 August in a storyline highlighting sexual abuse and gender-based violence.
The storyline started on 10 August, when Emmanuel (Nkosiphendule Cengani), who was desperate to find a new job, met Vega, who offered him a job – robbing people
Emmanuel also introduced his crush Palesa (Hloni Padi) to Vega, which set in motion a web of complexities that ultimately led to Palesa being raped by Vega and his friends.
His character was written out of the series after he was found guilty of the crime and sentenced to prison.
The following year he landed his first starring role in serial television when he was cast as Gundane in the Mzansi Magic polygamy drama iKhaya, which premiered on 8 January, 2018.
The role was reduced to recurring and recast for Season 2, when Siya Sesimani took over.
Just a month later he began the recurring role of Maximum on the second season of the SABC1 drama series Ingozi, created by Duma Ndlovu. His first appearance was in the season premiere, on 18 February, 2018.
Mbasa landed his second starring role in television when he was cast as Mpilo Hadebe in the SABC1 telenovela uBettina Wethu, based on the international series Ugly Betty.
The series premiered on 5 April, 2021.