By Lethabo Mahlangu, The African Digest (South Africa Bureau)
Popular South African Actress and Beauty Queen Cynthia Shange has passed on.
Cynthia Shange was a legendary South African actress and pioneering beauty queen who made history in 1972 as the first Black woman to represent South Africa at the Miss World pageant. A respected, multi-award-winning thespian, she was famous for her roles in films: uDeliwe, Shaka Zulu, and Muvhango
Cynthia Shange (27 July 1949 – 20 April 2026) was a South African model and actress. She is best known for being the first Black South African to represent the country at the Miss World 1972 pageant in 1972 and for her long-running role as MaNkosi in the SABC 2 soap opera Muvhango.
Shange was born in the township of Lamontville, near Durban, Kwazulu-Natal province of South Africa. She began her career in the early 1970s as a model, participating in local beauty pageants despite the restrictions of the Apartheid era.
In 1972, Shange won the “Miss Africa South” title (a separate competition for Black South Africans during apartheid). This victory allowed her to compete in the Miss World 1972 pageant held in London, making her the first Black woman to represent South Africa on an international stage.
Shange transitioned to acting in the mid-1970s. She gained significant fame for her role in South Africa’s first Black feature film, uDeliwe (1975), starring alongside Joe Mafela. She later became a household name for her role as MaNkosi, in the popular Venda-language soap opera Muvhango, a role she played for over two decades. Shange also appeared on Shaka iLembe.
Shange was the mother of four children. Her daughter, Nonhle Thema, is a well-known South African television presenter and actress.
Shange died after a short illness at a hospital in Kwazulu-Natal, on 20 April 2026, at the age of 76
Cynthia Shange was hailed as a “cultural pioneer” and a symbol of pride during the apartheid era, receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award from the South African Film and Television Awards (SAFTAs) and from the Simon Mabhunu Sabela Awards.
Africa and the entire world will miss Cynthia Shange.
