Born 1967 at Baragwanath Hospital, Tshepo Nzimande grew up in the dusty streets of Soweto and became a true kid of the ghetto. Raised in a close-knit family where his late mother, a moTswana descendent, was the second wife of his Zulu father Mr. Nzimande. Barely able to make ends meet with his father being a waiter at a restaurant in Braamfontein, and his mom being employed as a ‘Tea Girl’, Tshepo and his four siblings learned humility and got to appreciate life and the little it had to offer at that stage.

In 1975, Tshepo started his schooling at Ekuthuleni Lower Primary School in Diepkloof Soweto and was later forced to move to Thembelihle Primary because of the political unrest in the township.

It was in 1981 that his family sent him to a Roman Catholic school in Orlando East to do his higher primary learning. This school, according his parents, was very strict and demanding of respect and discipline from its learners.

In 1984 while attending school at Bona High School, Tshepo could not escape politics and became active in the student riots. During that time he was held in police custody overnight and released the following day after the charges were dropped.

Obsessed with muscle and fitness, he traded the streets for a much healthier lifestyle, when he joined a body building physical training club at YMCA.

In 1987, when he did a monologue play in a Guidance class, he wowed his teachers and classmates alike with an outstanding performance. Shortly afterwards, a teacher approached him and encouraged him to explore a career in acting.

He did not take this lying down as he did some research about the industry. Eventually he joined a casting agency called Gapper, where his first audition was for Ohlsons Lager.

For Tshepo, it was lights, camera and action from then on! He starred in the Ohlson’s advert beating veterans in their art to become the face and voice for many brands to come. It was indeed a turn in his life path, as he then shifted his focus on to the entertainment industry.

Because of his work overload and a newly found financial independence, he could no longer continue with his studies as he became a provider for his family. It was for that reason that he could not go beyond Standard 9.

In 1987 he got a role in a youth television drama series, ‘Zikhethele’ and later got a break in an international movie, ‘Rage To Kill’ as an extra. Again the hand of fate was on his side when one of the producers spotted him on set and gave him a more significant role because of his ‘star-like’ physique.

1989 saw him doing numerous commercials including: Castle Lager (2 Years), Lion Lager (3 Years), Shield For Sports Men, Sprite, Panasonic, Lemon Lite, Compral, Ford and many others.

His big break came in 1990, when he earned himself a leading role in a TV drama series “Hlala Kwabafileyo”. His role gained him great publicity and attention from big players in the entertainment industry.

The show was a success and subsequently Tshepo became part of the 2nd series in 1992. Amidst all this, his physical training paid off, when he entered and became a runner up in the Mr. Carlton Competition.

His evident versatility was inspired by a speech Nelson Mandela made after his release about South African youth being flexible and taking advantage of opportunities at their disposal- this was in 1993.

By this time he was a father of a two year old daughter, Tumelo, whom was later in the years followed by two sons, S’bonele and Osama.

1994 was indeed an exciting year for all South Africans as this year marked a new dawn in South African politics and lives in general. The first democratic elections were held in the country and Tshepo still prides himself for being amongst millions that stood on cues to cast their first votes in the new democratic country, as it had positive implications for him and his people.

Tshepo further landed a role on another youth drama series, “Teens On A Tight Rope” . In his free time he would be a driver for the now gospel sensation Rebecca Malope, this was an opportunity for him to tour the country and the continent. It was through this experience that he gained insight into artist management and the music industry.

Because of his profile at this stage and also his friendship with key people in the music industry, he recorded and released his debut and only album ‘Mpompoloza’ which was released with CCP/EMI Records, under Peter Tladi's Management.

Together with a friend, they jointly established KK productions, which produced and released Kau (Kwaito) and Kholeka (Gospel) in 1995. The record company was doing well and Tshepo progressed to be a sought after talent scout for his company. It was through this journey that he discovered the now gospel sensation Lundi Tyamara in 1997.

Because of irresolvable differences between him and his partner at KK Records, Tshepo made yet again another career move by joining Bula Music in 1998. This move was guided by the impressive track record the company held.

It was also in this year that he produced Lundi’s multi-platinum selling debut album Mphefumlo Wam, released under Bula Music. Following this success Tshepo produced more artists still under the record company, meanwhile assuming the role of a manager for Lundi.

In 2001 he again made a discovery of a young gospel songster S’fiso Ncwane, who was at the time 24 years old. This time Tshepo had started his own production company called Zuz’muzi Music and S’fiso’s ‘Makandunyiswe’ was the first project to come out of the label, and was released under Bula Music on a licensing deal.

At this stage Tshepo was a seasoned songwriter, arranger, producer and a force to be reckoned with in the music industry.

In 2003 Tshepo’s hard work and perserverance were rewarded when he was appointed to the Board of Directors of Bula Music. Today he is still successfully running the A&R Department and together with his partners Peter Tladi, Harvey Roberts and Clive Hardwick, Bula Music is successfully sailing into it's 10th year of South African music excellence.