Tshabalala was born in East London South Africa and was raised in Malvern Johannesburg. Her love for fine art arose in high school and began with an introduction to printmaking and darkroom photography at a community art center in Kliptown Soweto under the mentorship of Victor Matom and the late Dumisani Mabaso. This was followed by a more hands-on industry orientated practice of printmaking at Artist Proof Studio in Newtown Johannesburg. With a background in graphic design, Mbali went on to complete a Diploma in Fine Arts at the Tshwane University of Technology in 2015, where she is currently completing the practical component of her B-Tech, an installation which explores the influence and role of a curator towards an artist, from making, viewing and publishing art. Tshabalala`s work in Curating began in 2015 when she took up work at Art lovers 1932 in Waterkloof Pretoria, having curated shows for artists working in both historical and contemporary contexts, from Maureen Quinn to Kobus Rossouw, Katlego Modiri, Will Roux, Craig Muller, Carl Jeppe, including Tshwane University of Technology Graduate shows.