Mfana Jones Hlophe

Thembinkosi Phillip Hlophe, known professionally as Mfana Jones Hlophe, was born in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal, in 1971 and raised in uMlazi township, where he went to school. Sources differ on his exact birth date: a National Arts Festival biography gives 29 April 1971, while the ESAT encyclopaedia of South African theatre gives 14 September 1971. He was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes at the age of 16, and he later said through his biography that he refused to let the condition stop him from pursuing the arts. His name is sometimes spelled Hlope, and it occasionally appears as Jones Mfana Hlope.

His training was largely on the job, under two giants of South African theatre. He began with Mbongeni Ngema's Committed Artists and the Mbongeni Ngema Drama Group from 1987 and 1988, then studied at the Gibson Kente School of Arts from 1993 to 1995 under the late Gibson Kente. Through the African Research and Educational Puppetry Programme (AREPP) he completed an HIV and AIDS teaching course. In 2017 he travelled to France to study screenwriting and directing for the screen.

Hlophe made his professional debut in 1987 in Mbongeni Ngema's Township Fever. From 1988 he toured internationally with Ngema's Sarafina!, and he appeared in the 1992 film adaptation. In the 1990s he toured Europe with the Eurostage company and played a lead in the revival of Ipi Ntombi directed by Bertha Egnos. At the Market Theatre he appeared in Five Guys Named Moe, Gumboots, Woza Albert! (including a British tour in 2001 and 2002, directed by Sello Maake ka Ncube), The Necklace (directed by Fiona Ramsay, 2004) and Bergville Stories, and he choreographed Unsung Heroes.

On television he had roles in Khululeka (1995), Mama's Love (1996, directed by Gibson Kente) and Teens on a Tight Rope (1997). He played Jabu in Soul City from 2006 to 2008 and appeared in Stokvel, Emzini Wezinsizwa, Zone 14, isiBaya (as Mr Xaba) and Zabalaza. In March 2016 he joined SABC1's Uzalo as Zakhele. His later credits included Imbewu: The Seed, Love Lives Here, Asinamali the Movie, DiepCity, KwaBaba and Generations: The Legacy, in which he played Bra Nimz. Student films included Secret Lovers (2009) and Skyf the Film (2010).

A trained singer as well as an actor, he recorded as Mfana Jones. His releases included the single Zuwa ne Zuwa, promoted on iTunes, Deezer and Google Play and played on radio, as well as songs such as Sifonyo, Alleluia, Angizitike and Ntuleni. He shared his music, rehearsal footage and short films on his YouTube channel, Mfana Jones The Musician.

In 2003 Hlophe founded Eljay Productions, renamed Enjay Productions in 2015, to develop original work and mentor emerging performers. Through the company he sought to introduce young people from uMlazi to acting for television and theatre, and he co-produced work with other companies, including Ndinisa Productions at the National Arts Festival. Actor Thokozani Hlophe recalled him attending acting masterclasses to help up-and-coming actors, and Enjay Productions described him after his death as an actor, singer, visionary, powerful voice and loving partner.

Hlophe saw theatre as a tool for social change. In the 1990s he worked on HIV and AIDS awareness with Oxfam and AREPP, and during the Covid-19 period he worked with Brian Mazibuko on an edutainment theatre piece about public health regulations. His 2023 play Fish Out of H20 was openly political: he said he wanted to encourage young people to vote for change in the 2024 general election and reminded South Africans never to take the right to vote for granted.

Hlophe had a home in Johannesburg, while his family was based in Durban. He lived with a partner, whose name has not been made public, and his brother Bonani Mambi spoke for the family after his death. His parents had died before him and were buried in Durban. He lived with Type 1 diabetes from the age of 16, and his family said they helped him manage it, including reminding him to eat on time.

Hlophe's career connected the anti-apartheid protest musicals of Mbongeni Ngema and Gibson Kente with the soapies and telenovelas of the 2010s and 2020s. Colleagues remembered him above all as a mentor. Zola Hashatsi wrote that he "practically raised us," and TV commentator Nomy Mash noted that he spent his last months alongside younger talent on KwaBaba and Generations: The Legacy, "almost like he was handing over the baton."

Stage: Township Fever (1987), Sarafina! (international tour from 1988), Ipi Ntombi, Five Guys Named Moe (1999), Gumboots (2000), Woza Albert! (2001 to 2002), The Necklace (2004), Bergville Stories, Waiting (2000 to 2001), Fish Out of H20 (2023, writer, director and performer). Film: Sarafina! (1992), Secret Lovers (2009), Skyf the Film (2010), Asinamali the Movie. Television: Khululeka, Mama's Love, Teens on a Tight Rope, Soul City (Jabu, 2006 to 2008), Zone 14, Stokvel, Emzini Wezinsizwa, isiBaya (Mr Xaba), Zabalaza, Uzalo (Zakhele, from 2016), Imbewu: The Seed, Love Lives Here, DiepCity, KwaBaba, Generations: The Legacy (Bra Nimz). Music: Zuwa ne Zuwa, Sifonyo, Angizitike, Ntuleni, Alleluia.

Hlophe died on the night of Wednesday 7 October 2026 in Johannesburg after a long battle with Type 1 diabetes, according to his brother Bonani Mambi. He had been alone at home; when his partner returned from work she found him in a bad condition, tried to raise his sugar levels and took him by e-hailing service to Charlotte Maxeke Hospital, where he was pronounced dead on arrival at about 8:30pm to 8:45pm. It was not clear whether he died on the way or on arrival. His age was widely reported as 55, although the Daily Sun gave 53. News spread on 8 October through tributes from colleagues, and the family confirmed the cause on 9 October. The family said he would be buried in Durban next to his parents, with a memorial service in Johannesburg.