Tloubatla was born in Payneville, South Africa before moving to kwaThema township in 1951 as a result of (what was) the apartheid government's 'Group Areas Act' in the country.
[1] Tloubatla first began her music career by recording at the South African Broadcasting Corporation in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
However, it wasn't until she joined the session musician team at Gallo Record Company in 1964 that Tloubatla first gained national fame.
The five Queens were then paired with a mbaqanga instrumental team, the Makgona Tsohle Band and the gruff, "groaning" vocals of Simon Mahlathini Nkabinde, and not long afterwards, the band – billed as Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens – were receiving instant fame.
Due to the success of Paul Simon's Graceland 1986 album and tour (in which he collaborated with Ladysmith Black Mambazo, Stimela and others), South African music was in demand.