By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The former Intersexions, Saints and Sinners actress Sibusisiwe Gugu Manqele has passed away at the age of 35, her family confirmed.
According to a family statement,” The actress passed away on Thursday, 22 October 2026, following a stay of more than a week in hospital due to a cardiac condition.”
While she performed on screen, she was also widely known as a television writer and scriptwriter for popular South African shows including Skeem Saam, Gomora, House of Zwide, and Umkhokha.
Manqele grew up in Ulundi, Kwazulu-Natal (KZN) which is where her love for storytelling began. Her upbringing involved long commutes from home to school with private scholar transport.
She held a Bachelor of Arts in Dramatic Arts Honours, an Honours in Creative Writing and a MA in Film and Television from Wits University.
Since completion of her studies in 2011 she has been a Production Assistant on the second season of the SABC3 magazine programme Flash! and was a moderator on Big Brother Africa 7.
She also worked as a translator for Daily Sun TV, was a VJ on Hit Refresh on Vuzu and was a guest presenter on YOTV Crib Notes. Her screen acting debut was a starring role in the popular SABC1 drama series Intersexions 2, appearing in episodes 21, 24 and 26. She later had a guest role in the Mzansi Magic drama series Saints and Sinners.
Manqele had an illustrious career which has been topped off by her being listed as one of Mail & Guardian’s Top 200 Women in South Africa in 2023.