Tshabalala was born on 29 September 1984 in Phiri as the first born of two children of Isaac Tshabalala and Hadifele Rebecca . He has a younger sister, Mpumi. Tshabalala grew up and lived in a face brick house until he was 19, owned by his grandparents around his cousins and siblings all in one house and his father was the breadwinner and worked as a taxi driver. He attended secondary school at Seanamarena Secondary School in Phiri, Soweto. Tshabalala aspired to be a chartered accountant as a young boy.
Tshabalala played at the Kaizer Chiefs academy but only broke through to the senior team after spells with Alexandra United and Free State Stars. In January 2007 Chiefs brought back their own product after Ea Lla Koto was relegated to the National First Division at the end of the 2005/06 campaign. At the time, Tshabalala was then sidelined for six months due to a serious knee injury.
2007–08 season
Tshabalala eventually made his debut in a 1–0 loss to Bidvest Wits on 31 August 2007. Tshabalala made his Soweto derby debut on 24 November 2007 in a 2–2 draw. Tshabalala played his first ever cup final on 1 December 2007 in the Telkom Knockout winning after a penalty shootout against Mamelodi Sundowns and played the full 120 minutes. He scored his first Chiefs goal on 12 December 2007 in a 4–2 win over Golden Arrows.
2008–09 season
Tshabalala continued to consistently deliver great goals, winning him the Player and Players’ Player of the Year at the Kaizer Chiefs Awards Ceremony. He also picked up the Website Player of the Year, Goal of the Season and Readers’ Choice awards. All-and-all Tshabalala left the awards with R170 000 in prize-money, as well as a Nissan X-Trail.
2015–16 season
On 25 August 2015, Tshabalala gained attention for a volleyed goal from well outside the area which was nominated as one of the goals of the South African season. The goal, which came in a 4–0 win over Free State Stars F.C. coincidentally took place at the FNB Stadium in Johannesburg, the same venue where Tshabalala had scored a similar goal against Mexico in the world cup five years earlier. He made a total of 372 appearances scoring 58 goals.
On 28 August 2018, Kaizer Chiefs announced that Siphiwe Tshabalala would be leaving for Turkish side Büyükşehir Belediye Erzurumspor.
International career
Tshabalala was one of the first players to be called up to the national team while still playing in the National First Division. Tshabalala made his national team debut in a friendly against Egypt on 14 January 2006. He was part of the South African squad at 2006 African Nations Cup, 2008 African Nations Cup, 2013 African Nations Cup and the 2009 FIFA Confederations Cup. On 11 June 2010, gaining his 50th cap for the nation of South Africa, he scored the opening goal of the 2010 FIFA World Cup against Mexico in the 55th minute: a goal which erupted the fully packed Soccer City into wild celebrations. The game went on to finish at a 1–1 draw. That goal eventually made the shortlist for the Puskas Award in 2010: a nomination for goal of the year by FIFA. In October 2017, Tshabalala was called up to two of South Africa's World Cup qualifying matches against Senegal – for the first time since 2014.
Style of play
Goal.com described Tshabalala as "a tricky winger with pace and can deliver fantastic crosses. His left boot can pack a powerful shot and he is a great option for set pieces as he has the ability to bend the ball".
Tshabalala's mother Rebecca Hadifele "Hadi" Makhubu died on Sunday, 5 December 2010 after a head injury after falling at a bridal shower which she was attending with Tshabalala's father Isaac. She was buried at the Avalon Cemetery on 11 December 2010 in Soweto. The funeral was attended by notable figures such as Pitso Mosimane, Jimmy Tau, Morgan Gould as well as a performance by Joyous Celebration. A Limpopo man named Samson Nangani claimed that Tshabalala was his child and lost contact with his mother while she was still pregnant. Tshabalala denied being his son. Tshabalala was in a love scandal with Zanele Khanye Skhosana and former Atlético Madrid academy player Robin Ngalande where one of them allegedly impregnated her. Tshabalala's first child, Owami, a boy, was born on 6 February 2015 by former Miss SA, Bokang Montjane whom he had been dating since 2012. The pair married in 2016.
