Who is Zola Nombona? She is a South African actress, born on 10 March 1992 in Mthatha, Eastern Cape, and best known today as Fakazile Dosini-Shabalala, the lead in My Brother’s Keeper. A Wits drama graduate, she has won SAFTA, Golden Horn and DStv Mzansi Viewers’ Choice awards across a career that passed ten years in 2023.
Quick facts
| Fact | Detail |
|---|---|
| Born | 10 March 1992, Mthatha, Eastern Cape (Wikipedia) |
| Grew up | Between Mthatha and Matatiele (Mail & Guardian Power of Women) |
| Studied | BA and Honours in Dramatic Arts, University of the Witwatersrand (Wikipedia) |
| Current lead role | Fakazile Dosini-Shabalala, My Brother’s Keeper (2023–) (Wikipedia) |
| Major awards | SAFTA (2016, 2021), Golden Horn (2017), DStv Mzansi Viewers’ Choice (2020) (Mail & Guardian) |
| Brand work | Foschini ambassador from October 2022 (Briefly) |
Where is Zola Nombona from?
Zola was born in Mthatha, according to Wikipedia, and grew up moving between Mthatha and Matatiele, as the Mail & Guardian’s Power of Women profile notes. Matatiele, a town in the Eastern Cape near the Lesotho border, has stayed close to her story, and it later became the backdrop for one of her most personal brand campaigns.
She attended Victoria Girls’ High School in Grahamstown before studying at Wits University, where she completed a BA and an Honours degree in Dramatic Arts. That formal training shows in the range she has played since: comedy, drama, soapie and film. By 2015, two years after her Intersexions role, she was already playing a lead.
Zola Nombona’s shows: from Intersexions to My Brother’s Keeper
Her screen career moved quickly from supporting roles to leads. Based on her Wikipedia filmography, the milestones include:
- 2013: Shado in Intersexions.
- 2015: Roxanne, the lead in Z’bondiwe, and Zee in the film iNumber Number.
- 2018: Monde in Lockdown.
- 2019: Constable Brightness in eHostela.
- 2020–21: Zoleka in Isono.
- 2021–22: Pamela Khoza in Generations: The Legacy.
- 2023 onwards: Fakazile Dosini-Shabalala, the lead in My Brother’s Keeper.
If you searched “My Brother’s Keeper actress”, this is the role most viewers know her for now. It caps a decade in which she rarely played the same type twice.
What awards has Zola Nombona won?
The Mail & Guardian lists a steady run of wins and nominations:
- 2016 SAFTA: Best Achievement by a Lead Actress in a Made-for-TV Movie.
- 2017 Golden Horn: Best Actress in a TV Comedy.
- 2018 and 2019: SAFTA nominations for lead actress.
- 2020 DStv Mzansi Viewers’ Choice: Favourite Actress.
- 2021 SAFTA: Best Supporting Actress.
- 2024: Forty Under Forty nominee in the Theatre & Arts category.
By 2023 she was a six-time SAFTA nominee, the Daily Dispatch reported. A comedy award and drama awards in the same career say something about her range.
Wigs for a similar look
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Ten years in the industry, and a move behind the camera
In April 2023, Zola marked a decade in the entertainment industry, an occasion the Daily Dispatch covered with a look back at her career. She has since added directing to her work, taking the helm of the Salt & Sand music video, according to the Mail & Guardian. She is managed by To The Max Brand Management.
In October 2022 she became a Foschini brand ambassador. The campaign was filmed in Matatiele and celebrated her Xhosa heritage and the idea of returning home, Briefly reported. For an actress so often seen as other people, it was a rare chance to be seen as herself, in the place she grew up.
Zola Nombona’s hair: the burgundy moment
Zola’s on-screen hair changes with every character, but one off-screen shade stood out. In July 2024, TrueLove featured her burgundy colour, a shade the magazine described as “red with a bit of brown”, in its guide to hair colours worth trying.
Burgundy often flatters deeper skin tones because it reads rich rather than bright, and it is far easier to wear as a wig than to bleach and dye your own hair. If the look appeals, our Zara Burgundy 24″ at R18,400 is a long, straight burgundy unit in single donor Vietnamese raw hair, on a 13×6 transparent lace and fully glueless. With PayFlex, that is 4 × R4,600. It is a Zola-inspired shade rather than a copy of her hair, and our stylists can adjust the part, layers and finish to suit your face.
How to wear a burgundy wig well
Coloured hair asks for slightly different care and styling from a natural black or brown unit. A few things our stylists tell clients:
- Wash in cool water with a sulphate-free shampoo. Hot water and harsh cleansers fade red tones faster than any other shade.
- Go easy on heat. Use a heat protectant and the lowest flat-iron setting that gives you a smooth finish. Repeated high heat can dull the colour.
- Keep the root soft. A slightly darker root, or a customised part, stops the colour from looking flat against your scalp and makes the hairline more believable.
- Adjust your makeup. Burgundy hair pairs well with warm berry or brick lips and a touch of bronze on the cheeks. Very cool pinks can clash.
- Store it out of the sun. Keep the wig on a stand away from a sunny window between wears to protect the shade.
If you are unsure whether red-brown suits you, try it first with a consultation. Our stylists can hold the colour against your skin in natural light before you commit.
Zola Nombona and The Penthouse
Zola is one of the faces who has worn glam by our studio. In an Instagram post captioned “I’ll make you feel lucky”, she credited “Glam: @thepenthousebeautystudio”, with photography by @kpaparazzi_. You can read how the studio came to be in The Penthouse by The San HD story, and see more of our stylists’ work in our client portfolio.
Full glam makeup, wig styling and installation are all part of what our team does every day at The Queens Quarter, our hair services lounge.
A career built on range
From a childhood split between Mthatha and Matatiele to leading a television drama, Zola Nombona has built her reputation one very different role at a time. If you would like event-ready glam or a colour change inspired by her burgundy era, book on Fresha or send our stylists a reference photo on WhatsApp.
As seen on Instagram
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Send us a photo of the look you love. Our stylists will match the unit, install and glam to you.
Frequently asked questions
When was Zola Nombona born?
Zola Nombona was born on 10 March 1992 in Mthatha in the Eastern Cape, according to Wikipedia. She grew up between Mthatha and Matatiele, and later studied Dramatic Arts at Wits University, where she completed both a BA and an Honours degree.
What is Zola Nombona's role in My Brother's Keeper?
Zola plays Fakazile Dosini-Shabalala, the lead role in My Brother's Keeper, which she has played since 2023. Before that she was known for Pamela Khoza in Generations: The Legacy, Zoleka in Isono and Roxanne in Z'bondiwe, among other roles across a career of more than ten years.
Which awards has Zola Nombona won?
Her wins include a 2016 SAFTA for Best Achievement by a Lead Actress in a Made-for-TV Movie, a 2017 Golden Horn for Best Actress in a TV Comedy, a 2020 DStv Mzansi Viewers' Choice award for Favourite Actress and a 2021 SAFTA for Best Supporting Actress, according to the Mail & Guardian.
Is Zola Nombona a Foschini ambassador?
Yes. Zola announced her partnership with Foschini in October 2022. The campaign video was filmed in Matatiele, where she grew up, and celebrated her Xhosa heritage and the theme of returning home, as Briefly reported at the time. For many viewers, it was a homecoming in every sense.
How can I get Zola Nombona's burgundy hair?
The easiest way is a burgundy wig, which avoids bleaching your own hair. Zara Burgundy 24" is a long, straight burgundy unit in single donor Vietnamese raw hair. Our stylists can customise the part and finish, or advise on colour, if you send a reference photo on WhatsApp.
Sources
- Wikipedia — Zola Nombona
- Mail & Guardian Power of Women — Zola Nombona
- Daily Dispatch — Zola Nombona looks back on 10 years in the entertainment industry
- TrueLove — 5 hair colours to try, as seen on Zola Nombona and others
- Briefly — Zola Nombona drops video announcing Foschini partnership
- Instagram — Zola Nombona, "I'll make you feel lucky" (Glam: @thepenthousebeautystudio)
Written by The Penthouse Beauty Studio team at The Marc, 129 Rivonia Rd, Sandown, Sandton. Prices are in rand, include VAT and were correct at the time of publishing.
