Mqeku was born in Mount Fletcher a small town on the edges of the Eastern Cape province of South Africa the hills that scatter along the Drakensberg mountains, later he moved to Umtata a larger town where he graduated from High school.

Zanoxolo Mqeku began his tertiary education at the Nelson Mandela University Port Elizabeth south Africa, studying for a foundation certificate in art moving on to study Architectural Technology the following year.

In April 2013, after graduating with a diploma in Ceramic Design, Early 2016, Mqeku was enrolled at the Tshwane University of Technology Pretoria South Africa, completing a B-Tech in Fine Art with a major in Drawing and formally introducing the investigation of sand cast ceramics. Mqeku was commissioned as part of the Goethe Project Space (GPS) by the Goethe Institut Johannesburg, between September and October 2018, Sylvester hosted the first ever public workshop on sandcast ceramics at the central University of technology, Bloemfontein, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jNyuNhIIbqI. Earlier in 2018, Mqeku was selected to participate in the (Vallauris artist in residence), an exclusive ceramic artist residency in Vallauris, south of France. Mqeku is due to graduate his masters in design and studio art, which he spent researching the use of sand casting as a ceramic studio technique and how it adapts to public creative practice and multiple fabrication technologies. Prior to the Global pandemic and eminent shut down of international and local public spaces, Mqeku had spent two months in Dakar, Senegal. This was at the newly opened Blackrock Senegal Artist residence, Mqeku spent early 2020 as one of 16 international artists selected for the inaugural class. Engaging with Senegalese culture and art, developing cross borders conversations, workshops, language and drawing. In October 2021, Mqeku will spent two month in an artist residency at the Faenza Art Ceramic Center, in Faenza Ravena Italy.