Wonderboy (Thokozani) Nxumalo was born in Greytown, KwaZulu-Natal, the son of Glodia Kanyile, a housekeeper.
His mother's employer knew of the boy's artistic talent, and referred him to Fée Halsted-Berning of the Ardmore Ceramics workshop.
He quickly developed his own style in painting ceramics, with poetry, slogans, and anecdotes threaded around and through the images, and frequent use of a sgraffito technique.
[3] His subjects tended to more historical events and current issues than those of his more folklore-inspired colleagues, with pieces about the Anglo-Zulu War and the AIDS epidemic.
Sales of fabric printed with Nxumalo-inspired designs raise funds for his mother and for a local orphanage, Khazimula.