Nhlanhla Thwala started his career in 1986 as a high school teacher in his native Eswatini after completing a BA in History and English plus a Diploma in Education. In 1990 he completed an MA in Linguistics at Syracuse University. In 1994 he completed a PhD in formal Linguistics from the University of California in Los Angeles. His post PhD career started in Indiana University, Bloomington where he was a Visiting Scholar and Coordinator of the African Language Program. He then spent 16 years at Wits University, Johannesburg in various capacities including serving as the founding Head of the School of Literature, Language and Media, Director of the Wits Language School, Researcher at SOAS while on Sabbatical at Wits. In 2014 he left Wits and first joined Advtech (one the largest JSE listed private education companies in South Africa) as Head of the Institute of Independent Education (IIE). He then joined Pearson South Africa as Managing Director of CTI Education Group (a higher education company acquired by Pearson in 2013). In that time he also served as the Academic Director of Pearson Institute of Higher Education. He also had Summer Teaching roles at Yale University, Boston University, and Ohio State University. In 1998 he started at Wits as Lecturer and rose to Senior Lecturer in 1999 before his appointment as Head of the School of Literature Language and Media in 2001.