Thulani was born in Ladysmith (eMnambithi district) to Joseph and his wife Nellie. In 1976, Joseph brought together his six sons to form Mshengu White Mambazo, Ladysmith's 'junior choir', in which Thulani sung as one of the bass voices.
Thulani is also a member of the group Izimpande, formed in 2002 with ten native South Africans who were raised on the music and native dance of South Africa. To date, they have released two albums, Asibuye Emasisweni (Back to my Roots) and Unity is Power. Although Thulani is now making his name known in South Africa, he also continues to be a part of Black Mambazo.