Mhlanga became renowned for his guitar skills, and worked with Zimbabwean acts such as Shaka, Talking Drum, Ilanga, Mudzimu, and Oliver Mtukudzi.

Mhlanga is on the album Place of Hope, which contains collaborations with George Duke, James Ingram, Al Jarreau, and Dianne Reeves.

Following their South African tour, they released the album Live in S.A.[citation needed] He pursued a music engineering course in the United Kingdom in the 80s.

A former theater director, Mhlanga ran Zimbabwe's Ethnomusicology Trust, where he was in charge of developing national teaching programs for traditional and contemporary Zimbabwean music.

As the musician-in-residence at the Royal Dutch Conservatory of Music, he taught African guitar courses and recorded albums with bassist Eric van der Westen, one of which also included Malian guitarist and singer Habib Koité.