Born in 1941 in Groutville Mission, Roland Mqwebu attended school at Inchanga High School. In 1955, he had his first recording with Radio Zulu. He acted in a number of national TV multilingual such as Deliwe 1 & 2, Abaqaphi, By The River Side and Dingaka, and has acted in 32 international films. He was best known for his role as James Mkhize, an InDuna in the sitcom Emzini Wezinsizwa, a Zulu TV comedy and received an award from the Minister of Arts and Culture in recognition of his work.
But his talents went beyond acting. Roland was the assistant director on the iconic 1980s television series, Shaka Zulu, in which he also played the role of ‘Ngomane’, and also performed as a backup singer for the legendary Phuzekhemisi. In August 2015, he died of renal failure, at age 74, at the eThekwini Heart Hospital.