Hlungwani was born in Giyani, Limpopo, and now lives and works in Johannesburg. He trained at the Johannesburg Art Foundation, the Artist Proof Studio and Wits School of Art.

Hlungwani comes from a family of artists and attributes the start of his career to the support given to him by his mother. He uses charcoal from his hometown, where his mother lives, and from the wood they would burn to keep warm and cook their food. The work titled Ku Tsaka Ka Mbilu Swi Tshungula Mirhi is of dancing women.

"My family would have meetings if there were problems and dance away their sorrows. It is their symbolic way of cleansing themselves."