Smangele was born in Danny Dalton, Northern KwaZulu-Natal and subsequently moved with her family to Vryheid, also known as Filidi. She acquired her high school education at Nxusa High School, where she matriculated. In 1995 she enrolled at the University of Zululand (UNIZULU) for a bachelor’s degree in Social Work. On completion of her studies, Smangele furthered her knowledge in her chosen discipline of employee wellness by completing several postgraduate diplomas and degrees with various institutions.

Smangele has been s a registered social worker with the South African Council for Social Services Professions (SACSSP) since 1999 and she is also a registered member and board member of the Employee Assistance Program Association – South Africa (EAPA SA) and currently serves as the KZN Chapter Chairperson.

Smangele has extensive work experience on employee assistance programmes in both the public and private sectors, where she has been responsible for the design, implementation, and evaluation of employee wellness programmes. She has worked for various institutions among which is the Ethekweni Municipality, Metropolitan Health and the South African Revenue Services to name but a few.

Smangele has been working as an employee wellbeing specialist at UNIZULU since July 2016. Her responsibilities include ensuring the provision of employee wellbeing services like counselling and health awareness programmes dealing with cancer, HIV, diabetes, hypertension, mental wellness, and designated health screening services.

She is also credited for initiating and coordinating physical training for UNIZULU staff on campus. Another area critical for the wellbeing of staff is that of financial wellness and Smangele has been instrumental in bringing various service providers in this sector such as banks and companies in the insurance industry to come and offer financial advice.