Thembi qualified as a nurse in 1991 and specialized in clinical and critical nursing care. She worked in the public sector up to 2001, after which she joined the National Association of People Living with HIV/AIDS (NAPWA) in South Africa’s Eastern Cape region. It was at NAPWA that her interest in activism and Public Health grew. She joined the School of Public Health in the mid-2000s and graduated with an MPH in 2013.

As a person living with HIV, she has dedicated her life to fighting for access to appropriate health care. Thembisile has spent most of her work life working for South Africa Partners. Her roles involved overseeing national programs, advocating for the inclusion of people living with aids in community programmes and government initiatives, and growing partnerships across the country. Thembisile has also supported a nationwide Department of Correctional Services HIV Prevention Programme. As a Deputy Country Director for South Africa Partners, she works closely with the Department of Health to affect change.