Sonwabiso Ngcai was born and raised in Buntingville, a rural village outside a small town called Ngqeleni, near Mthatha in Eastern Cape, South Africa. 

He completed both my Diploma and B-Tech degree at Walter Sisulu University where he graduated cum laude respectively, and in 2016 he obtained a Fine Art Masters from Vaal University of Technology. He specializes in ceramic sculptural installations. Sonwabiso is currently lecturing Fine Art Walter Sisulu University, Visual Arts Department in East London where he also lives.

He, in his artistic career worked as art lecturer/teacher in various institutions such as Vaal University of Technology, Lovedale TVET College and Nelson Mandela University. Over the years, Sonwabiso participated in numerous national art competitions such as Thami Mnyele Fine Art Awards, Absa L’Atelier, Sasol Signatures and PPC Imagnarium (sculpture category runner-up) 2017.

Sonwabiso’s recent accolade was being selected as PPC Imaginarium 2019 Overall winner, and it arrived on the back of The Best 3-Dimensional Artist award he received in the Eastern Cape Cultural Awards in December 2019. He received Merit Award in Ceramic South Africa Eastern Cape Regionals in 2021. 

In April 2022 Sonwabiso held his first commercial solo exhibition titled Nkomoni na? at GFI Art gallery in Gqeberha. Sonwabiso has been in involved in art related adjudication panels such as; Sasol New Signatures Art Competition, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan Art Museum, Eastern Cape Arts and Cultural Awards, and has recently been appointed as an Award Judge for Ceramic South Africa Corobrik Biennale 2022. Sonwabiso received a top award for Excellence at 2022 Ceramic South Africa Regional Exhibition.