Bio
Uyanda Mbuli is a South African marketer, socialite and occasional actress best known for her role as Nomonde in the SABC1 drama series Tshisa.
Mbuli quit her job as publicity and events manager for South African broadcaster SABC1 in June 2006, to pursue a career in acting and business.
A former model and award show host, Uyanda is also a member of the Gauteng Film Office Board.
She was Publicity & Events Manager for SABC1 (2005-2006); Communications Director for the Department of Housing; the Media Manager of City Power and the Mpumalanga Tourism Ambassador in 1997.
Mbuli was born in KaNyamazane, Nelspruit (Mpumalanga) and grew up between Mpumalanga, Limpopo and Johannesburg.
She is the youngest of five siblings born to Rannie and Tamary Sibiya, and attended the Guardian Angels Catholic Girls School.
She holds a Bachelor of Commerce degree from the University of the Western Cape, studied Project Management at the University of Johannesburg and got a Diploma in Sales & Marketing Management from Damelin College.
Uyanda was a contestant in the Mrs. Globe 2005 pageant, coming sixth overall out of 37 contestants. She won three prizes however: the People's Choice, Contestants' Choice and Motivator of the Year awards.
She also won the Miss Cape Town 1996 and Miss Mpumalanga Province 1997 pageants. She was a host of the Kora All Africa Music Awards 2006 and a South African host of the 2006 Daytime Emmys.
Uyanda made her acting debut on the SABC1 drama Tshisa in the role of Nomonde.
She recently completed shooting the musical comedy Underground Music in the United States, which was released in the US in July 2007. In it she plays the role of Stephanie Hall, a young lady that comes to New York to pursue a career as a musician but ends up as a back-up dancer for a hip hop group.
In 2008 she was one of the celebrity contestants on the fourth season of the SABC2 reality dancing competition Strictly Come Dancing, which premiered on 31 January. Her professional dance partner was Ryan Hammond.
She was the third celebrity voted out of the competition (on 21 February), after losing a dance-off against actress Brenda Ngxoli in Episode 4.
Uyanda has been married to Sisa Mbuli since 2002 and they have a son, Landa, who was born in 2003.