Nhleko began his professional career with South African club
Jomo Cosmos, for whom he played from 1998 to 2002. In 2002, Nhleko moved to
Brann of Norway; although he appeared in 20 games, including two
UEFA Cup matches, Nhleko had trouble adjusting to the climate and environment at Brann, and during the summer of 2003, was loaned to
Major League Soccer's
Dallas Burn for the rest of the season. Nhleko performed well in 11 games with the Burn, showing strength and power possessed by few MLS forwards, registering two goals and four assists while teaming well with
Eddie Johnson. The team bought Nhleko in the 2004 offseason for a nominal fee, and he played a larger role in the team's 2004 offense. Appearing either as a substitute for
Jason Kreis or a starter with Eddie Johnson, Nhleko played in 23 games for Dallas in 2004, 13 of them starts, while scoring six goals and two assists. He left the team after the season, coming back to the Cosmos. He arrived for his second spell at
Jomo Cosmos in January 2005 but his stay was short lived as he moved back to Europe, where he was signed by
Roy Hodgson. In July 2005, Nhleko returned to Norway to play for
Viking. He helped Viking by scoring to beat
AS Monaco and
Slavia Prague in the 2005 Uefa cup. In August 2006 he was sold to Swedish club
Hammarby IF. In August 2007 he was loaned out to
Sandefjord until November 2007. He returned to
Jomo Cosmos. His third stint at Jomo Cosmos proved to be fruitless. He failed to score a single league goal in a team who were struggling to find goals to fight off relegation. He did however score a cup goal in a 1–0 win over
Golden Arrows in a
Nedbank Cup Last 32 Round match. After Jomo Cosmos relegation from the Premier Soccer League during the 2007/08 season, Nhleko signed for
Thanda Royal Zulu on a Bosman free transfer. == International career ==