[1] In 1996, he enrolled for a Bachelor of Commerce (BCom) degree at the University of South Africa, but he couldn't complete the course due to financial constraints.

[1] Mhlongo did a certificate program in management development on municipal finance at the Wits Business School in 2010.

He was then appointed a shadow councillor candidate for the Greater Johannesburg region, representing Orlando East.

On 5 June 2014, he was appointed as Shadow Deputy Minister of Rural Development and Land Reform by Mmusi Maimane, the DA parliamentary leader.

[4] On 24 November 2016, Mhlongo was selected to be the Shadow Minister of Sport and Recreation, replacing Solly Malatsi.

[9] Maimane resigned as DA leader in October 2019 and John Steenhuisen was voted in as his interim successor in November.

[11] Following the resignation of Funzela Ngobeni as the DA's Johannesburg regional chairperson in March 2020, Mhlongo was elected as his acting successor.

[13] In August, Safa and Jordaan demanded that Mhlongo apologise and retract the remarks or face legal action.

[16] On 1 December 2023, Mhlongo was expelled from the DA after he was found guilty of plotting to defraud the party's electoral systems ahead of the 2024 national and provincial elections.