Mbongeni was first introduced to the arts at Waterford where he discovered himself as an artist. His art teacher liked and emphasized the importance of Surrealist art, and Mbongeni was exposed to artists like Dali and Magritte, both of whom still influence his work today. “Upon finishing school,” Mbongeni remembers, “all I wanted to do was paint”. He quickly, however, moved from painting to exploring digital art and animation. “Animation is the natural next step” he explains, “the still leads to the moving object”. Mbongeni’s animation is artistic and abstract, as opposed to commercial. He has recently become interested in film – exploring multi-media performances that combine video, photographs, and graphic art with live performance. He also enjoys writing poetry, an art form that he sees as very connected to his visual art – “all of my art comes from the same mind, just in different mediums.” In 2004 Mbongeni after being awarded the Best Figure Drawing Award at TUT, Mbongeni was invited by SABC to do a portrait for the Program “All You Need Is Love “ which was aired on national TV(SABC 1). Another important highlight in Mbongeni’s artistic career occurred in 2010, when he was awarded for Best Public Sculpture competition by the Matsapha Town Board. His sculpture now stands as a historical monument in the gardens of the town board.