I’m Zenhlanhla, though most people know me as ZEN. I’m an award-winning art director, creative storyteller, and the creative director of the Abolova Collective, with nearly a decade of experience shaping culturally resonant, results-driven work. My career has been built on an unwavering commitment to craft, ideas, and execution, a mindset that has earned me recognition as a Design Indaba Emerging Creative and a Decorex Young Creative, and more recently, multiple top-tier awards including WARC, Loeries, Effies, Assegais, Bookmarks, and international recognition.

I currently work at Ogilvy Cape Town, where I’ve spent several years as a lead art director on Carling Black Label, the most awarded and best-selling beer brand in Southern Africa. During this time, I’ve helped shape some of the brand’s most impactful and effective campaigns, from FIFA Score Predictor and Carling Cup Fak’ugesi to the multi-year #NO-EXCUSE platform addressing gender-based violence. My work consistently sits at the intersection of strong insight, cultural truth, and bold creative expression, delivering ideas that not only win awards but drive real business and social impact.

Beyond agency life, I am the creative director of the Abolova Collective, a passion-driven platform focused on documenting and amplifying the black township experience, particularly the lives of abolova, the often-overlooked unemployed black youth. Through photography, storytelling, and visual world-building, I aim to preserve culture, challenge stereotypes, and give visibility to narratives that are too often ignored.

Whether I’m collaborating with strategists, leading creative teams, directing shoots, or building documentary-led work, I bring vision, cultural fluency, and an uncompromising standard to everything I do. My goal is simple: to create work that is not only seen and celebrated, but felt, remembered, and meaningful.