In 1959, Phango was cast to replace her cousin,
Miriam Makeba, in the female lead of the musical
King Kong, about a South African boxer. Phango first appeared on the London stage in 1961, in the same show. In 1988, she played "Bloody Mary" in a London revival of
South Pacific. She also recorded an album with
Dudu Pukwana's band Zila. She toured as Rose in
Stepping Out in the 1980s, and was one of the South Africans who both appeared in and contributed their personal experiences to the show
Ekhaya in 1991. She appeared on British television regularly, notably in
EastEnders and an adaptation of
The Growing Pains of Adrian Mole. Her appearances in television dramas about South Africa included roles in
Victims of Apartheid (1978),
Prisoners of Conscience (1981),
The Biko Inquest (1984), and
Death is a Part of the Process (1986), the last based on a novel by
Hilda Bernstein. Shortly before her death she appeared as the character Mrs Wald in the first episode of a long-running television show,
Lynda La Plante's
Trial and Retribution. ==Personal life==