miriam masoli tlali was born in doornfontein, johannesburg, and grew up in sophiatown. she attended st cyprian's anglican school and then madibane high school. she studied at the university of the witwatersrand until it was closed to blacks during the apartheid era; she later went to the national university of lesotho (then called pius the xii university) at roma, lesotho. leaving there because of lack of funds, she went to secretarial school and found employment as a bookkeeper at a johannesburg furniture store.