Sam is a stone sculptor whose work is achieving growing acclaim in Germany, the Netherlands and the United Sates. He is a protg of one of Zimbabwes best-known sculptors in stone, Joram Mariga. It was Marigas family who encouraged Mhlaba to switch his abundant talents from painting to stone sculpting in 1996.
The next year Sams work went on show in the Heritage Exhibition at the National Gallery of Harare. In August 1998 he took part in a two-week Chapungu Workshop at the Botanical Garden in Hamburg, Germany. There he worked with Zimbabwean sculptors, Joram Mariga, Dominic Benhura, Arthur Fata and Joe Mutasa and German sculptor Sascha Braunstein. In June 2000 Sam worked for five weeks at the Chapungu stand in the Hanover World Expo 2000 in Germany. In March 2001 his work drew acclaim in the Mbira Art Exhibition at the National Gallery in Harare.
Currently Sams work is being shown at an exhibition in Zeist/Utrecht, Netherlands and The Munhumutapa Gallery at Victoria Falls has taken his work on a traveling exhibition in the United States.
Sams subjects are drawn from everyday life and the natural world. He is based at Dominics (Benhura) Studio in Harare.
Sam was trained in Fine Art at Harare Polytech from 1990 to 1993 and taught art at St Davids Girls High in the Eastern Highlands. He is married with two daughters.