Nozipho Nkelemba

EARLY LIFE

Nozipho Nkelemba was born in 1991 in South Africa. She grew up in a family environment rich in artistic and cultural influences. Her maternal side was heavily involved in Black history, culture, music, literature, and art; her mother and aunts sang choral music, and her maternal grandfather was a choir conductor. Her father’s older sister performed in radio dramas. Her father rented films from VideoTown, her older brother took her to the cinema, and she recorded television sitcoms as a child. These experiences, combined with a natural affinity for performance, sparked her interest in storytelling and filmmaking. She trained in performance and directing at the Wits National School of the Arts (University of the Witwatersrand School of Arts) and later earned a degree in Brand Communications from the AAA School of Advertising. She is multilingual, speaking English, Sesotho, Setswana, and Zulu.

CAREER

Nkelemba began appearing in commercials as a teenager (notably a girl-on-a-bus role for Allan Gray insurance) before moving into scripted television. Early acting credits include Ayanda Sibeko in the SABC2 Heartlines anthology (segment The Bet, 2006), Mmatsietsi in When We Were Black (2006–2007), Nana in the third season of 90 Plein Street (2011–2012), and the popular schoolgirl Charlotte on e.tv’s Rhythm City. Other acting roles include Arizona/Nomsa in Mzansi Love, Dineo Rachabane in the feature film The Forgotten Kingdom (2013), Grace in Intersexions, Palesa in Let Heaven Wait, Zandi in Task Force, Nala in Ya Lla, Khethi in Dream World, Kitso in Emoyeni (which she also wrote), and later appearances such as Dr. Mgadi in Blood & Water. She expanded behind the camera as casting director (and dialogue/language coach) on Hustle (eKasi+, 2016) and Keeping Score (SABC2, 2016). As a writer she contributed to Emoyeni (2018), winning the SAFTA for Best Achievement in Scriptwriting – TV Drama (shared with co-writers). Her directing career has been particularly notable. She directed the hit telenovela Gomora (winning the 2021 SAFTA for Best Achievement in Directing – Telenovela), episodes of Netflix’s Blood & Water, the 2024 Netflix series Blood Legacy, and has worked on iThonga (Mzansi Magic, 2025) and other projects. She has described her directing process as deep immersion in the material followed by meticulous pre-production (storyboarding, location work, and team assembly).

PERSONAL LIFE

Nkelemba is married to fellow South African actor Richard Lukunku. The couple has one son and maintains a relatively private family life. She has spoken about the organic evolution of her career from acting into directing, writing, and other production roles, describing it as part of a longer creative plan rather than a sudden shift.

Nozipho Nkelemba is regarded as a versatile multi-hyphenate creative who has successfully moved from on-screen performance to key behind-the-camera roles while remaining active as an actress. She has spoken about the need for South African filmmakers to develop multiple skill sets and about the industry being at a potential tipping point. Through her work as an actress, writer, casting director, and director she has contributed to both popular local television and internationally distributed series (particularly on Netflix), helping shape contemporary South African storytelling with an emphasis on emotional authenticity and cultural resonance.