Edmund Qhawelenkosi Mhlongo

Edmund Qhawelenkosi Mhlongo obtained his BA Honours degree at the University of Durban-Westville in South Africa and went to Sussex University in the United Kingdom where he graduated with his Master’s degree. In 2005, he was awarded the Durban Theatre Award. He is also a producer graduate from the Hollywood Film Institute. Mhlongo is also the Artistic Director who is the behind the Lion King Production.

Through the help of local and international organizations such as War Child, he was able to start an arts school called Kwa-Mashu Community Advancement Projects (K-CAP) in 1993. Mhlongo has directed and wrote world renowned plays such as “Cry Not Child”, “Street Kids” and “Bayede Shaka”. All of his productions have toured internationally to Ireland, England, Denmark and USA. He is a warm, intelligent person and is passionate about South African history. His dream of developing communities through theatre is unfolding with every new dawn.

In 2003, Edmund Qhawelenkosi Mhlongo built the only community theatre in Kwa-Mashu, the Ekhaya Multi Arts Centre which is the home of K-CAP. Ekhaya is a multi-purpose space for showcasing presentations and performances. This includes facilities such as Ekhaya Imagination Computer Lab (with Internet), recording studios, theatre hall, dance studio, workshop space, and editing multi-media suites and facilities.

In 2014, he came up with the Kwa-Mashu Achievers Awards which seeks to honour the people who are excelling in different walks of life, and are from Kwa-Mashu. Besides theatre and film, Mhlongo was instrumental in setting up the Greater St Lucia Wetlands Park Authority’s Heritage Site Cultural Programme between 2001 and 2004.