SowetanNetflix (June 2021)

TimeOut Sowetan

Friday June 18 2021Sowetan

You’ve made it

15

Noxolo Dlamini and Khosi Ngema as Brenda Fassie and Yvonne Chaka Chaka /SIPHIWE MHLAMBI

Era placed a mirror in SA living rooms 1976 ushered in revolt on air and screen

By Vus’umuzi Phakathi

There is an almost eerie air of irony in how the year 1976 is associated with the revolt of SA youth and happens to be the same year television made its advent in the country.

It was as if an era had placed a mirror in SA’s living rooms and muttered, “look at yourself ”.

With the Soweto Uprising rose a mighty storm of an ebony dust of SA entertainers; a kind of collective black consciousness that inhabited the streets and airwaves alike locally and abroad.

In this year, Letta Mbulu and Caiphus Semenya were in the US working on the soundtrack of the multiaward winning drama series Roots with Quincy Jones.

Hugh Masekela released Colonial Man under the US’s Casablanca Records, and wrote Soweto Blues in response to the uprising. The song was performed by Miriam Makeba, becoming a staple of her live performances.

Gibson Kente had just completed filming his banned play, How Long? and was jailed. Theatre duo Winston Ntshona and John Kani were back from the US and touring SA townships with Sizwe Banzi is Dead and The Island, which led to their arrest.

Joe Mafela was establishing himself as a cogent con-

duit for social cohesion, not only taking up space as a black television actor but also creating it for blackness to have a voice in that living room mirror.

The 1970s were an age that served as a tipping point of black youth rage, and also as a precursor to what was to become the decade that was the playground of a plethora of perennial legends of SA entertainment, the 1980s.

International acclaim is no new phenomenon to SA artists. Makeba, celebrated as Mama Africa, was one such artist. Having nailed an incisive cameo in the 1959 antiapartheid film Come Back, Africa, she caught international attention, which led to performances in Venice, London and New York City, where she settled and launched her global fame.

As a result of the politics in her music, Makeba was not allowed back into the country, serving more than 30 years in exile. Makeba went from bagging nine Grammy nominations to performing at President John F Kennedy’s birthday party in Madison Square Garden alongside Marilyn Monroe in 1962, to eventually scoring a Grammy win for Best Folk Recording in 1965.

She went on freedom tours around Africa – from Kenya to Mozambique, Zambia and Angola as they gained their independence. It was during these tours that she was crowned “Mama Africa”.

A fellow South African, one who Makeba had trav-

Circa 1989. Singer Brenda Fassie on her way to get married to Nhlanhla Mbambo. Seen here with her bridesmaid Yvonne Chaka Chaka before the church ceremony. / M B U Z E N I ZULU

elled with on a SA tour of the musical King Kong in 1959, was to be named the King of African Jazz. Bra Hugh also found himself locked out of his country, and making New York City his base, a banishment that lasted for 30 years.

In 1968, now Californiabased, Masekela released a smash single, Grazing in the Grass, topping US charts for three weeks, selling more than 4m copies, reaching number one on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, ranking it as the 18th biggest hit of the year.

In 1980, Masekela settled in Botswana as home until his ultimate return to SA. He released five albums from ’82 to ’87; the decade was spent in performances around the world, the prominent being the world tour with Paul Simon promoting the massively successful Graceland. In 1985, Masekela founded the Botswana International School of Music, a legacy that lives on beyond his death.

Masekela and Makeba were friends from the ’50s, got married and divorced in the ’60s, toured together and remained friends until Makeba’s death – a remarkable friendship.

There is a similar kind of formidable friendship worth mention, one that lives be-

tween the beautiful power couple, Mbulu and Semenya; the mzukwana Jay Z and Beyoncé as it were.

The legendary couple met in ’59, and left together for LA, already married, in ’65.

While in exile their careers experienced exceptional global stardom; in ’76 they tag-teamed on Mbulu’s classic album There’s Music In The Air, and in the same year were heard on the Roots soundtrack, both projects having Semenya on pen and co-production, and Mbulu on vocals.

This combination continued all the way through The Colour Purple (’85), in which Semenya was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Original Score, and a feature on Michael Jackson’s Liberian Girl.

Ladysmith Black Mambazo, founded by Joseph Shabalala in 1960, is the epitome of family and brotherhood. The group has been in existence for over six decades, and there isn’t a music-loving ear that the name Ladysmith Black Mambazo hasn’t touched the lobe thereof.

By ’86 they had featured on Paul Simon’s Graceland,

recorded in London and performed in New York City on Saturday Night Live.

Their first US release album, Shaka Zulu (’87), won the much-coveted Grammy Award, the first of five to date, amidst 16 nominations, with an additional one Emmy and one Oscar nomination.

■ continued on page 16

‘For 40 years Sowetan has captured the rhythm of SA entertainment in the lives and times of our stars.

On this milestone anniversary, we partner with Netflix to take you down memory lane, to celebrate decades of talent and to showcase future of SA arts.’

Nwabisa Makunga SOWETAN EDITOR

16 TimeOut

Friday June 18 2021 Sowetan

Sowetan 40 x Netflix

World alive with hope Dance and song on global stage In ’88 they made a feature in a Sesame Street song, appeared in Michael Jackson’s movie Moonwalker on the end credits, and sang Mbube during the opening sequence of the Eddie Murphy movie Coming to America. The latter gives a sense of 360 degrees with Nomzamo Mbatha’s feature in Coming 2 America.

There is another sort of transcending “local”, of not necessarily “making it” in the US, but resonating with the diaspora – SA’s Reggae King, Lucky Dube.

Dube began his career as a mbaqanga artist, releasing his first album in 1981 and peaking at about 30,000 copies a record. It wasn’t until 1984 that he followed his destined sound, reggae music, which started as an epic fail.

A year later after countless live performance he found his sound, wrote and produced, Think About The Children (1985), his second album, which blessed him with a platinum sales status, elevating him to national and international popularity.

Ndebele artist Esther Mahlangu worked as a resident at the Botshabelo openair museum from 1980 and 1991. In 1989 she gained international attention at a European art exposition titled Magiciens de la Terre (Magicians of the World).

She was commissioned in 1991 by BMW to create an art car, as other BMW Art Car creators had done before (including Andy Warhol, David Hockney and Frank Stella), and through the years went on to become one of the most recognised artists in the world Ntshona and Kani, working with Athol Fugard, went on tour in the United States in 1974, with Sizwe Banzi is Dead and The Island. On Broadway, they achieved international recognition when they were awarded a Tony for their performances in both plays.

Ntshona’s later success in New York led to a series of film roles in the 1980s and 1990s.

His most substantial film role came in 1989 in A Dry White Season, alongside Hollywood veteran Donald Sutherland.

Once Kani returned to SA in 1977, he worked with Barney Simon and the new Market Theatre in Johannesburg, the beginning of a long association that was fruitful through the ’80s. This led to the establishment of the Market Theatre Laboratory, by Kani and Simon in 1990, to provide train-

ing to young aspiring thespians from less fortunate backgrounds.

Another SA landmark that worked with Fugard at the start of his career is Ken Gampu, one of the first black South Africans to be featured in Hollywood films, working alongside stars as Edward G. Robinson and Burt Lancaster.

Gampu played lead in Joe Bullet (1973), the first SA film to have an all-black cast, to appeal to black audiences. It was banned by the government on the basis that it may influence the aspirations of black South Africans.

There is yet another duo in theatre that left an immutable mark – young performers who where touring in Kente’s company in ’79. Together they workshopped what was to become one of SAs defining theatre productions, Woza Albert!.

Percy Mtwa and Mbongeni Ngema started writing the play in 1981 and staged it for the first time at The Market Theatre two years later. The play toured Europe and the US with great success.

The ovation of Woza Albert! aided in ushering the prevalence of Mtwa’s masterpiece, Bopha! and Ngema’s vanguard,

‘‘

Circa 1980s. Sipho Mabuse with Harari at the Kyalami Race track, Johannesburg. / D A V I D S A D I S O N . © R A N D D A I L Y M A I L / A R E N A H O L D I N G S

Stars of ’80s displayed great strength of personality

Given Sturrman, Prince Grootboom (JIVA!); Lethabo Bereng (How To Ruin Christmas); Dillon Windwogel, Leroy Siyafa (Blood & Water); Sthandile Nkosi (Unannounced) / S I P H I W E M H L A M B I

Sarafina!, both initially staged in 1987.

While our global legends were flying the SA flag high in the world, artists back at home held it down.

Kente, venerated as the Father of Black Theatre in SA, trained an entire generation of black SA performers, through G. K. Productions that he founded in the 1960s.

In 1963, Kente produced his first play, Manana, The Jazz Prophet, featuring Semenya and Mbulu. Along the years he wrote music for the likes of Mbulu and Makeba. His legacy lives on not only through his timeless productions but also the entertainers he impacted; among his students were Ngema, Mtwa, Nomsa Nene, and Brenda Fassie.

One of the most celebrated star students in Kente’s class has to be, Madonna of the Townships, The Black Madonna, The Queen of African Pop – Brenda Fassie.

Fassie released 24 albums in her lifetime, 10 of which are between 1983 and 1989 (six with The Big Dudes), and left the country with recordbreaking classics.

Weekend Special (’83) achieved multi-platinum status sales in excess of 200,000 copies as the fastest selling single of that year.

On the ground with the masses was also The Princess of Africa, Yvonne Chaka Chaka. Her career as a singer started in 1984, selling platinum on her debut album I’m in Love With a DJ. She then released the equally successful second album, Thank you Mr. DJ, in 1986 and in 1987 she released I’m Burning Up. The ’80s launched an array of artists who were deemed royalty, a household favourite across generations being The

African Queen of Gospel, Rebecca Malope.

She released two platinum selling albums Woza Lovey (’88) and Thank You Very Much (’89), which had one or two gospel songs that had better reception than the rest. It wasn’t until 1992 that she released her first full gospel album, to become one of the biggest gospel figures in African music.

Malope has sold at least 10m albums worldwide, making her one of the biggest-selling gospel artists of all time.

Seeing beyond the present was the grand feat of music virtuoso, Steve Kekana. Having lost his sight at the age of five, Kekana was in no way hindered. He released the most albums of the ’80s decade with a catalogue of 22 releases from 1980 to 1989. He enjoyed incredible success in the music industry with over 70 Golden Disc Awards to date.

There was another musician, who when experienced their music without the sight of race, one would swear the music came from a spirit of a black man, The White Zulu, Johnny Clegg.

At age 17 Clegg partnered with Sipho Mchunu and formed the band Juluka in 1969, which grew to a sixmember group released its first album Universal Men in 1979. Juluka experienced great success but eventually disbanded, and Clegg started another inter-racial band, Savuka, with musician and dancer Dudu Zulu.

The group’s first album, Third World Child, broke international sales records in several European countries. The band went on to record several more albums, including Heat, Dust and Dreams, which received a Grammy nomination.

Solo success succeeding the ending of a band, was singer and songwriter Sipho “Hotstix” Mabuse. Mabuse was a member of Harari, “the middle name in cool soul”, a stylish and sophisticated band originally known as The Beaters formed in the late 1960s.

Mabuse went on his solo career and released the classic, Burn Out in the early 1980s, which sold over 500,000 copies, and the giant (Disco Shangaan) hit of the late 1980s Jive Soweto.

The stars of the ’80s displayed a great strength of personality and temperament.

A stout example is Thembi Nyandeni, a dancer for Ipi Ntombi (1974). With a career more than 40 years old, Nyandeni travelled the globe as a dancer and on her return home forged a new era of strong female roles on television, first in Kwakhala Nyonini in the ’80s, to Isibaya.

That SA living room mirror went beyond television, but is now on computer monitors, and mobile devices; ours, is to look at all the black history we have the time to intake, and to ourselves utter, “look at yourself, you have been beautiful”.

TimeOut 17

Sowetan Friday June 18 2021

Sowetan 40 x Netflix

1980s

By Sam Mathe

The 1980s were a golden age of SA pop and an exciting era in sport, TV shows, radio, fashion, theatre and other cultural spaces. In athletics it was the era of three sensational runners who shared the same name – Matthews “Loop en Val” Motshwarateu, Matthews Temane, fondly known as the “Hammanskraal Express”, and Matthews Batswadi, the first black athlete to receive Springbok colours.

Bruce Fordyce ruled the Everest of long-distance running, the Comrades Marathon.

But the darling of township folks was Zola Budd, the unassuming but fleet-footed teenager from Bloemfontein who preferred to run without shoes. She lent her name to the then sleek and trendy minibus Toyota Hiace taxi that inspired a Brenda Fassie evergreen hit of the same name.

Released in 1987 as one of the tracks on her self-titled and fifth studio album, Zola Budd was a dance-floor anthem and now a pop classic, a befitting tribute to an iconic mode of transport for the majority of SA commuters.

The diminutive singing dynamo arrived in the City of Gold in 1980 from Langa, Cape Town, and after a short stint at the Gibson Kente academy of actors in Dube Village, Soweto, eventually charted her own path as the quintessential pop star of our times following the release of her debut album Weekend Special in 1983 with five exceptionally gifted instrumentalists named The Big Dudes – Sammy Klaas (guitar), Desmond Malotana (keyboards), Fats Mlangeni (drums), David Mabaso (bass) and Dumisani Ngubeni, another keyboardist and father of her only child, Bongani Fassie.

They were a peerless act.

As the undisputed queen of pop, Fassie defined the era and Weekend Special was a seminal tune that set the tone for the mainstream music of its times.

Famously crowned the Madonna of the Townships in a 1991 Time magazine article, it’s an apt title for an artist and social commentator who poignantly captured the spirit of township life.

Her favourite haunts were Prince’s and Banda’s places in Meadowlands Zone 10. These and other popular spots like Irene’s in Orlando East and Rowena’s in Rockville were social spaces where new releases were first played and tested for their hit potential.

Chicco Twala recalled how his first album flopped before it could be released because

A decade rich with talent that re-shaped our world

From hit music on dance floor to sports field, SA stars shone

Arno Greef (Blood & Water) as Johnny Clegg and Prince Grootboom (JIVA!) as Sipho Mchunu in Juluka. Right, Johnny Clegg and Juluka live on stage. / P H O T O S / SIPHIWE MHLAMBI AND TLADI KHUELE

the patrons at Stadig, a Diepkloof shebeen, didn’t like it.

Dubbed the king of township disco, Twala was one of the defining voices of the period. As a producer and songwriter, he would play a pivotal role in the revival of Fassie’s career in the early ’90s.

Ten years after her premature death at 39, her closest rival and friend Yvonne Chaka Chaka lamented, “The environment is dead. South Africa is a damn boring place without MaBrrr.”

The Princess of Africa was the maid of honour at Fassie’s lavish wedding in 1989 to Nhlanhla Mbambo, the highflying socialite and son of a Durban tycoon. When she got on the charts in 1985 with her debut single, I’m In Love With a DJ, comparisons with Fassie were inevitable and confirmed her arrival in the big time. It

‘‘ Concert promoted unity and harmony

was the beginning of a longstanding, highly publicised and much-hyped rivalry on the local music scene.

While the 1980s produced magnificent musical talent on a grand scale, they were also exceptional as fashion fundis.

Acts like Harari, Umoja, Image, Cheek To Cheek, Brenda Fassie and The Big Dudes, and

others too numerous to mention, were the sultans of style.

The perm hairstyle was the inthing but the queen of pop created her own trademark image of loose-beaded braids known as singles.

“It was about the image,” says Sipho Mabuse, erstwhile drummer and leader of the Afro-rock super group Harari.

“How you looked on stage was very important.” Silky, bright and colourful designs with pan-African themes, hot leather pants and cowboy boots were part of their trademark wear.

Hotstix, so nicknamed by Harari fellow member Condry Ziqubu due to his prowess on drums, went solo in 1983 after an acrimonious split.

His debut Rise sold an incredible 132,000 copies but it was Burn Out (1984) that would confirm his status as one of the brightest stars of the ’80s. It achieved recording history with an unprecedented 275,000 units in sales, ruled the hit parade for weeks on SABC ethnic stations but most significantly as a crossover hit it also made an impact on the charts of white commercial stations.

The 1980s were also notable for festivals. The biggest and grandest of them all was Concert In The Park, organised by 702 and held on January 12 1985 at Ellis Park Stadium in Johannesburg as a benefit musical extravaganza with Operation Hunger.

With Mabuse as one of the headline acts, the festival was an eclectic line-up that included Brenda and The Big Dudes, Marah Louw, Juluka, Stimela, Petit Cheval, Face To Face, Neville Nash, The Rockets, Umoja, Stimela, Supafrika, Blondie, Via Afrika, Steve Kekana, Hotline and Paul Ndlovu.

With the incomparable Cocky “Two Bull” Tlhotlhalemaje as compere, Concert In The Park brought together more than 100,000 revellers from various backgrounds.

The historic concert illustrated the power of music to promote unity and harmony among people on different sides of the tracks.

PJ Powers and Johnny Clegg were among the few white artists who envisioned a true non-racial future before it became mere political rhetoric.

Through their crossover hits like Woza Friday and Jabulani, they became bridge builders and fearless rebels who dared to give apartheid the middle finger and fraternised with the other side. * Continued on page 18

18 TimeOut

Friday June 18 2021 Sowetan

Sowetan 40 x Netflix

Memories made of this

Sne Mbatha as Thembi Nyandeni who began her career as a dancer in Ipi Tombi / N E O N T S O M A

Dance styles and protest plays Mabuse was another rebel who dared to record a song with the banned Miriam Makeba. He introduced Paul Simon to Soweto and Stimela members Ray Chikapa Phiri, Isaac “Mnca” Mtshali and the likes of Bakithi Kumalo, Tony Cedras, Vusi Khumalo, Barney Rachabane and the late saxophonist Mike Makhalemele for the Graceland album, a 1986 landmark project that catapulted SA rhythms onto the international scene.

It’s thanks to this multiGrammy winner that Ladysmith Black Mambazo, a scathamiya (Zulu acapella) choral ensemble established in 1964, is still a global sensation.

Graceland was released at the height of apartheid state repression and increasing militant political resistance in the townships. It was greeted with anger by young anti-apartheid activists who accused Simon and the artists involved of violating the cultural boycott.

In 1980 the United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution with member states to “prevent all cultural, academic, sports and other exchanges with South Africa”.

However, this didn’t discourage then exiles Hugh Masekela and Miriam Makeba joining Simon and other artists on the Graceland in Africa tour (1987), a spectacular success in Zimbabwe.

Back home the authorities banned their consciousnessraising music, but thanks to Radio Bop – “the station with a mind of its own” – and Moribo Wa Afrika presenter Mogale Mafatshe, they and fellow exiles like Caiphus Semenya and Letta Mbulu could be heard.

One of the songs performed at the historic concert attended by over 20,000 revellers in Harare, Zimbabwe, was Masekela’s Bring Him Back Home.

Calls for the release of Nelson Mandela grew louder in the ’80s. Twala and Fassie – a dynamic singer-producer partnership – were at the forefront with their pop brand of protest music. But the censorship regulations meant the SABC couldn’t play songs like We Miss You Mandela and Black President.

The release Mandela calls culminated in 1988 with the Nelson Mandela 70th Birthday Concert at Wembley Stadium, London. The majority of performers were from the West but SA was fairly represented by artists of global stature such as Jonathan Butler, Jonas Gwangwa, Amampondo as well as Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens. Mama

Thembi Nyandeni performing at the Rand Stadium on 1985 / M B U Z E N I Z U L U Africa and Hugh Masekela sang Soweto Blues, a lament for the children of Soweto who died on that fateful Wednesday June 16 1976.

The goggle-box was significant in many ways as a source of entertainment. It was the era of American shows like The A-Team, The Cosby Show and Knight Rider. The black channels were a novelty, having been launched in 1982 and greeted by the target audiences with a combination of excitement and scepticism.

The state broadcaster couldn’t be trusted to air unbiased information but for newsreaders and the acting fraternity, an industry was growing. Shows were being produced.

Joe Mafela would emerge as the most successful and popular comic actor of his generation. Having launched his career in the ’60s as a stage and screen actor in skop, skiet en donder films, by the ’80s Mafela was the face of entertainment as S’dumo, the star

‘‘

Goggle-box significant in many ways as entertainment

Sne Mbatha as Thembi Nyandeni /NEO NTSOMA

of the cult sitcom, S’gudi S’naysi (1986-1993) and Chicken Licken commercials.

Thembi Nyandeni began her career as a dancer and stage performer in the globe-

trotting 1974 musical Ipi Tombi before launching a TV career in the ’80s. Her portrayal of the vain and headstrong Beauty in Kwakhala Nyonini (1989) is still a favourite topic among those who loved the hilarious isiZulu drama series.

Umoja – The Spirit of Togetherness was a musical that celebrated the beauty and diversity of the country’s dance traditions. She launched it in 2001 with childhood friend and fellow dancer, Todd Twala. One of the longest-running shows, Umoja became a significant platform to groom new talent.

Dance styles were the inthing in the ’80s. The decade started with 18-year-old GaRankuwa lad, Godfrey Raseroka, beating 32 other international contestants in London to walk away with first prize at the World Disco Dancing Championship.

There were break dancers and ballroom types but the pantsulas were the most popular, especially on the TV variety show Lapologa. They even had a queen – singer Mercy Pakela of Ayashisa Amateki fame and inspired the awardwinning anti-apartheid film, Mapantsula (1988).

Shell Road to Fame was a peerless talent show that helped to unearth some of the finest musical talent in SA. One of them was a shy 18-yearold farm girl from the then Eastern Transvaal. Her name was Batsogile Lovederia Malope. The year was 1987 and she walked away with first prize as a solo act for Shine On, a powerful gospel song written by her producer and mentor, Sizwe Zako. Rebecca Malope, the queen of African gospel, was born on that day.

Lucky Philip Dube was born in the same part of the country as Malope. After a promising start as a mbaqanga singer, he followed in the footsteps of his hero Peter Tosh to emerge as the most influential voice of reggae and a truly global superstar who performed in every corner of the world – Africa’s own king of reggae.

The Market Theatre was a vibrant and defiant space for multiracial audiences and protest plays. In 1987, the iconic playhouse brought The Bard himself to trumpet against apartheid injustice. The Market’s Othello was the first professional production with a black actor. In this role John Kani lived up to his reputation as the native who caused all the trouble when he provoked half of the white audience to walk out in anger and disgust after the kissing scene between Othello (Kani) and Desdemona (Joanna Weinberg).

The 1980s. What a time!

What a decade! Thank you for the fine music and the fond memories.

News 3

Sowetan 40 x Netflix

Sowetan Tuesday June 22 2021

‘That wedding is still my best wedding of all time’

By Emmanuel Tjiya

Veteran photojournalist Mbuzeni Zulu, dubbed the original paparazzo, remembers capturing Brenda Fassie’s lavish 1989 wedding to Nhlanhla Mbambo like it was yesterday.

Zulu describes the over-thetop soirée that had camera lights flashing from photographers from all corners of Mzansi as the biggest he has ever seen to date.

The moment forms part of Sowetan’s rich archives that have been recreated as part of a collaboration between Sowetan and Netflix that launched on Friday to celebrate the paper’s 40th anniversary.

Fellow lensman Siphiwe Mhlambi has recreated the image with his two muses JIVA! star Noxolo Dlamini and Blood & Water actor Khosi Ngema.

“I used to be friends with Brenda and had learnt that she was secretly planning this big wedding.

“So we were in Soweto because I used to capture social events and album launches,” Zulu recalled.

“We then ran into Brenda, who excitedly revealed that she was engaged. She used to love me a lot. She introduced me to Nhlanhla and I took pictures of them.

“On Monday, the Sowetan came out with this exclusive that she was engaged.”

Now that the cat was out of the bag, Fassie’s big Cape Town wedding was the one to watch on the social calendar.

Zulu was flown by Sowetan to Cape Town for two weeks before the wedding to cover everything. But he found it boring in his hotel room and spent most of the time at Fassie’s home in Langa.

“Yvonne Chaka Chaka was the matron of honour. Then Rebecca Malope and Mercy Pakela were the other bridesmaids. There were also a

Veteran photojournalist Mbuzeni Zulu, dubbed the original paparazzo, captured Brenda Fassie’s lavish 1989 wedding. / V E L I N H L A P O

Lensman who displayed Brenda’s lavish wedding number of upcoming artists in attendance and it attracted every artist in SA. It was a wedding with a great storm,” Zulu said.

“That wedding until today is still my best wedding of all time. Her wedding gown was inspired by that of Princess Diana and Nhlanhla’s suit was inspired by Prince Charles’. It was very expensive too.

“At Brenda’s house they were slaughtering about two sheep a day and she was very open to the community.”

Joining Sowetan in 1984, Zulu was born in Sophiatown, and documented with his lens the history of SA – from politics to entertainment and sports.

Before retiring in 2008 after a hip replacement surgery, some of his favourite stars to shoot included Ray Phiri, Sipho “Hotstix” Mabuse,

Thandi Klaasen and Abigail Kubeka.

Zulu’s focus now is on community building and he has been part of the school governing body at Senaoane Secondary School in Soweto since 2015. He was appointed treasurer for three years, before he moved to being a chairperson.

He is a father of five children and his nephew is DJ Sbu. “I’m a born artist and even in school I was good in art. I was a sculpture artist when I came across a camera. I started shooting, mostly social pictures,” Zulu said.

“I was born to be a photojournalist; my mom always loved reading newspapers and that love started there. So eventually I started as a freelancer at City Press.

“When I joined Sowetan it was vibrant because there was

Singer Brenda Fassie got married to Nhlanhla Mbambo in 1989 and she’s seen here with maid of honour Yvonne Chaka Chaka. / M B U Z E N I Z U L U this second phase of our uprising after June 16.” ● Part two of Sowetan40 x Netflix will debut exclusively in

Time Out this Friday and looks at the 1990s through the lens of Neo Ntsoma and the pen of Lesley Mofokeng.

THE GREEN PAPER ON MARRIAGES IN SA IS OUT FOR PUBLIC COMMENT Since its publication on the 4th of May 2021, the Green Paper on Marriages has been a subject of vibrant debate and discussions in the public space.

The proposed changes, as contained in the Green Paper, are necessitated by the observation that the current marriage system does not provide equal protection and human dignity for all people who live in South Africa. It falls short of meeting the Constitutional requirements of a public administration that provides services impartially, fairly, equitably and without bias.

The marriage policy review process will culminate in a new, single marriage act and lay a solid foundation for the recognition and protection of all marriages, irrespective of the person’s race, gender, sexual orientation, age or religious and cultural persuasions.

In summary, the new marriage policy will establish a transformed legal framework for regulating the solemnisation and administration of marriages in a manner that promotes the values in rights that are entrenched in the Constitution of the Republic.

Find us on Social Media

@HomeAffairsSA

Department of Home Affairs

View the full version of the Green Paper on

www.dha.gov.za Interested persons or parties can send their written submissions on or before Wednesday, 30 June 2021, to: The Director-General: Department of Home Affairs, Private Bag X114, Pretoria 0001. For Attention: Mr Sihle Mthiyane, Chief Director: Policy and Strategic Management. Alternatively, via email: marriagegreenpaper@dha.gov.za NB: The Green Paper is not the official policy position of government. It only articulates possible policy options or proposals that are based on inputs received from stakeholders during the Ministerial dialogues which were convened as part of the public consultation process. These proposals will be subjected to public scrutiny.

DeptHomeAffairs

departmentofhomeaffairs

VACCINATE TO SAVE SOUTH AFRICA

News 3

Sowetan Monday June 21 2021

Brits thrilled by Toya’s Zulu rave Delazy is taking England by storm

By Patience Bambalele

Noxolo Dlamini and Khosi Ngema as Brenda and Yvonne. / Veli Nhlapo

Designer takes us back in time Modutle recreates Brenda Fassie style

By Emmanuel Tjiya

Young designer Orapeleng Modutle was only six months old when Brenda Fassie staged her epic 1989 “wedding of the decade” to Nhlanhla Mbambo.

Modutle, who turned 33 at the weekend, has three decades later recreated Fassie’s dreamy gown for the Sowetan40 x Netflix campaign that launched on Friday.

He is one of the emerging designers that were tasked with re-imagining the 1980s fashions. Sello Medupe of Scalo gave the Yvonne Chaka Chaka-look a modern twist, while Sihle Masango did the same for the Thembi Nyandeni dance number.

“I was surprised when I was asked, because I don’t remember the wedding dress, I just heard about it. Then when I did my research and discovered the statement the wed-

ding made, it was a privilege to be part of this project,” Modutle said.

A lot of bedding went into the updated look that was originally created by design house The Boys. “My brand is very sexy and elegant, so how we interpreted it was our fresh take on bedding with the use of modern stones like Swarovski crystals,” said Modutle “We also used hanging tassels which gave it a cultural twist. So if you look at Zulu and Xhosa brides they usually have a headpiece that has tassels on the forehead.”

Born in the small town of Phutanang, near Kimberly in the Northern Cape, Modutle was raised by a single mother.

He dreamed of becoming an actor, until his love for fashion peaked in his matric year.

After high school he studied fashion design at Tswane University of Technology. In his final year, Modutle interned for Stoned Cherrie for six weeks.

He hit it off with label owner Nkhensani Nkosi and was hired as a pattern maker. A

Designer Orapeleng Modutle

year later in 2013, Modutle launched his eponymous fashion label operating from his brother’s garage.

But his break came in 2016 after showcasing at Mercedes Benz Fashion Week in Johannesburg, and two days later Bonang Matheba donned a piece from the collection on the cover of Glam Africa.

The blue and pink number, with a bow detail, was styled with a dramatic brim hat.

Matheba went viral in a video clip wearing the look and Modutle became the hottest designer in town.

His celebrity clientele includes Boity Thulo, Thuli Phongolo, Minnie Dlamini, Somizi Mhlongo and Nomzamo Mbatha.

Next, Modutle plans to launch his ready-to-wear line. ● Part two of Sowetan40 x Netflix will debut exclusively in Time Out this Friday and looks at the 1990s through the lens of Neo Ntsoma and the pen of Lesley Mofokeng.

London-based South African artist and dancer Toya Delazy is taking British audiences by storm with her 100% Zulu album Afrorave Vol 1.

The album hit the digital streets worldwide on Friday and received airplay on BBC radio.

Her single Resurrection was played in the slot titled “BBC Introducing Dance”, hosted by Jaguar Bingham.

The radio presenter said: “My face was pure joy when this came through on the upload and I knew that it deserves to be featured in the Dance Floor Moment.

I am a big fan of Toya’s unapologetic genre crossing sound and her energy is infectious. You can hear drum, techno and rave.”

After six years living in London, Toya Delazy, who was born Nontokozo Buthelezi, is excited to finally break into the British music scene.

Though they still regard her as an

emerging musician, she is just happy her journey to global stardom has officially begun.

Speaking to Sowetan, the granddaughter of Prince Mangosuthu Buthelezi said she realised that singing in English was not helping her, which is why she went back to her roots.

“They call me an emerging artist because I am bubbly under and they are excited by my music.

“They started to play it on radio. It is so surreal it makes me happy. It sounds like a win for me and the whole SA,” she said.

Her other single, Qhawe, has been nominated for Best Produced Music Video in this year’s SAMA27.

“I went to mission school where they used to shave our heads and test our virginity.

When you look at it now you realise that our skin was always a problem.

“Some of my friends are still broken, even today. Resurrection is about restricting our spirit.”

She said her album celebrates her culture and heritage.

Artist and dancer Toya Delazy. /SUPPLIED

HELP US CARE FOR GIRLS,

BY KEEPING THEM IN SCHOOL Studies show that girls between 12 and 18 who live in poverty are deprived of about 20% of their high school education because they cannot afford feminine hygiene products and are too embarrassed to go to school during menstruation. Last year over 220 000 girls did not miss a day of school, because you donated over 8 758 000 sanitary towels to #MillionComforts.

Simply purchase a pack of sanitary pads from the participating brands below and deposit in the Million Comforts Bin available in-store.

These brands will match every pack with an equal donation.

GO Advertising 42848

HELP US CARE FOR EVEN MORE GIRLS THIS YEAR

TimeOut Sowetan

Sowetan 40 x Netflix Friday June 25 2021Sowetan

You’ve made it

13

Miss SA Jacqui Mofokeng was a doyen of black beauty in pageants. / C H R I S T I N E N E S B I T T / A R E N A H O L D I N G S

Jacqui Mofokeng: queen of original black girl magic Her reign defined SA’s turning point

By Lesley Mofokeng

The win by Jacqui Mofokeng in 1993 as the first black Miss SA unleashed a long reign of ebony beauties who snatched the coveted crown from the lily-white winners who made it their own terrain.

The history of beauty contests in SA bears the same dark past as the nation’s history. Black women could only enter Miss Africa South and later Miss Black SA, while

Miss SA was the preserve of the white women.

Even with the cultural boycott of the 1970s, beauty was never just skin deep. It became a hot political issue until the early 1990s when black contestants were allowed in.

Nothing could have prepared the then 21-year-old Mofokeng for what was to follow her famous victory in the Sun City Superbowl.

No sooner had she taken her victory lap atop a MercedesBenz inside the Superbowl had the hate started.

Callers jammed radio sta-

tions complaining about how unattractive she was for a beauty queen, from the size of her lips to her backside.

The gears had shifted and for people who for decades had been served white beauty it became a bitter one to swallow.

The ownership of the pageant also exchanged hands when Sunday Times/Rapport sold the right to Doreen Morris, a TV visionary personality who set off to make it more inclusive.

Winners like Basetsana Makgalemele (now Kumalo), Peggy-Sue Khumalo and Ker-

ishnie Naicker became household names and carried so much power at the height of beauty pageants.

Back to Mofokeng. She was probably the most photographed woman at the time, thanks to the publishing muscle of the Sunday Times and Rapport.

Also, she was a necessary social experiment of how national cohesion and reconciliation was to be achieved.

It came at a great cost and pain to her, but the rewards were bigger.

To this day, Mofokeng’s name is synonymous with the

Candice Modiselle (JIVA!) as Jacqui Mofokeng /NEO NTSOMA

1990s and the young people who are today facing midlife crisis relive their youth through the times of Mofokeng.

To a generation, Mofokeng still represents the original black girl magic.

A nation finding itself and its new identity, some of the firsts that were staged was the SA Fashion Week in 1996 under the direction of former model Lucilla Booyzen, bringing together established fashion houses with newbies from the townships and the suburbs.

This would lay the foundation for the success of fashion titans like David Tlale, Ephraim Molingoana and Palesa Mokubung.

14 TimeOut

Friday June 25 2021 Sowetan

Groove

Sowetan 40 x Netflix

By Lesley Mofokeng

The fresh scent of freedom still hung in the air. The echoes of the guttural Imilonji KaNtu Choral Society singing uMandela usilethel’ubungcono (Mandela has made things easy) still reverberated in many corners of the land.

The new national anthem was a tongue twister, especially the Afrikaans part (it still is for many others), as the national reconciliation and unity project got off the ground.

The days of Mandela magic and the neon bright rainbow nation colours in all its glory dazzled the world.

How was it that a nation just a few years earlier was tearing itself apart fighting the monster called apartheid had reached a negotiated settlement without descending into a full-scale civil war as has been the case in most African transitions to democracy?

We dodged the bullet of the third force that was linked to political murders and skirmishes that claimed dozens of lives notoriously in Katlehong and Thokoza on the bloodstained Khumalo Street.

The country was a darling of the world and in our international travels we proudly brandished our passports as curious customs officials and locals asked: ‘Ah, you’re from South Africa? Nelson Mandela, Winnie Mandela, Lucky Dube, Miriam Makeba, Desmond Tutu, Bafana Bafana...’ and flashed a welcome smile.

The air was thick with promise as the world marvelled at the magic of SA. The glow from the celebrations of the watershed 1994 general elections was the kind no money could buy.

Lucky Dube’s anthemic Different Colours, One Nation galvanised a people ready to build from the ruins and devastation of hate, oppression and privilege for a select few.

It was as if the horses had bolted from the stables in the entertainment front with the mushrooming of new bands, new dance styles, sounds, fashion and independent music labels. Everybody expressed themselves, pushed boundaries and challenged the status quo.

The Boom Shaka girls, Lebo Mathosa and Thembi Seete, gyrating wildly to It’s About Time left many blushing and set many more teenage hormones raging. They, together with bandmates Theo Nhlengethwa and Junior, claimed their time and freed young black boys and girls from townships, villages and farms of SA to seize the day and make their presence felt, for it was about time.

Their court controversy when they took the national anthem, added a few thumping beats and breathed new life, resulting in a kwaito-fied version and an outrage ensued after they performed it at the

1990s music scene explosion was a marvel that took country by storm

‘‘ How it started…

‘‘

Lebo Mathosa and Thembi Seete of Boom Shaka at the SA Music Awards. The group fired up a generation of youngsters to make their presence felt. / J O E S E F A L E

1994 elections glow the kind money could not buy

South African Music Awards (Samas) of 1998 in skimpy outfits and signature wild gyrating. Sacrilege. They were accused of being disrespectful of this sacred hymn composed by Enoch Sontonga born out of a need to pray for Africa as it faced the challenges of colonialism and foreign invasion.

The fiery Lebo Mathosa

with her colourful contact lenses already showed signs of the “next big thing.”

There was excitement, if not obsession, about her in the media, but in reality the shy young woman from Daveyton on the East Rand guarded her life. Thembi Seete was always the sweet dimpled rapper who later in life transitioned from

music to carve a successful acting career.

The flag bearers of the kwaito movement out of Soweto were out in full force.

Arthur Mafokate’s Kaffir disrupted the “relatively peaceful transition of the rainbow nation” narrative when he brought to the surface the lived experiences of black people in the urban centres, villages and farms of SA who were still called by the abhorrent Kword.

It was a reminder that the reconciliation everybody preached was nothing but a band-aid while the wound festered underneath. There were forces of white supremacy that sought to sabotage the nationbuilding exercise.

Mafokate, whose claim to fame was as Mr Soweto at some point, ventured into business with the launch of his label 999Music, which became the cradle for the careers of stars like Abashante, Queen Sesoko, Zombo and Lira.

Mdu Masilela was another voice from Soweto that added to the burgeoning kwaito repertoire. His was a different flavour with releases like Ipompe, Tsiki Tsiki, Y U 4 Me and Is Fokol Is Niks.

While he shied away from controversial lyrics, he ensured that the party scene was never short of hits. He worked with Mashamplani, a fourpiece boy band that also delivered some memorable hits such as Ratlala and Bangiphethe.

Kalawa Jazmee Records, one of the biggest hit factories in the country, also opened their doors and a deluge of musicians was unleashed. Bongo Maffin, Boom Shaka, Brothers of Peace and Mafikizolo revived the power of the ’70s super-groups.

The sound was hip and cool and provided a blueprint for today’s gqom and amapiano bands.

Bangers like Thathisighubu, Makeba, Sigiya Ngengoma, Traffic Cop, Manyonyoba, O Kae Molao and Thati Mpahlayakho defined an era.

They burst with energy and put kwaito and dance on a path to greatness.

Thebe is worth a mention with albums such as Tempy Life, Top Dawg and The Vibe Continues and hit singles Philly, Ungawa Kum, Bhek’Indaba Zakho.

TimeOut 15

Sowetan Friday June 25 2021

Sowetan 40 x Netflix

that soothed SA’s creative soul After being in the doldrums and struggling to find back her groove, Brenda Fassie reloaded and made one of history’s most memorable comebacks with a wedding song. Vulindlela became another lease of life after some dark episodes in her life. The song went on to break records as the old favourite resurfaced and reminded all who is boss.

MarcAlex, a duo of Rantseli brothers from Soweto, was the personification of hip and cool. With their Scurls, striped shirts and dazzling smiles they infused a new energy in the industry with their brand of pop music. The song Quick Quick, released in 1989, became a crossover hit that cemented their place in the pop songbook of SA. They were played with the same fervour on 5FM as they were on Metro FM. More fun came with tracks like Boys Be Boys, Treat U Right and the smouldering ballad My Life, My Love, My Everything.

A Cape Town vocalist named Vicky Sampson belted a song titled My African Dream. It was inspiring, rousing and easy to sing along to.

In no time the song became an anthem that would galvanise the cause of the PanAfrican agenda. The song became a must-play at government and corporate functions.

Another independent recording stable that contributed to the youth expression was Ghetto Ruff headed by the charismatic Lance Stehr. The Cape Town group Prophets of the City was its biggest attraction and international export famous for the hit Excellent Black President, until the likes of Ishmael, Skeem, Ashaan, Oda Meesta and Amu came on the scene. Skeem’s Waar Was Jy deserves a national monument as the song that paid tribute to local music as a throwback to the past and it got so big that it entered the everyday lexicon. Today, Waar was jy? is a conversation starter.

Ishmael was effectively the midwife who ushered in the year 2000 with the celebratory song Unity (The New Millennium) easing our fears of the Y2K phenomenon that seemingly threatened to cripple the systems of the world.

The following year he got us twisting our hips and waistlines to the fun Roba Letheka and calmed us down with the soothing gospel tune Avulekile Amasango.

‘‘ … How it’s going

Boom Shaka recreated with Sthandile Nkosi (Unannounced Netflix Show) and Khosi Ngema (Blood & Water). / N E O NTSOMA

Bula Music played its part in the gospel scene releasing Lundi Tyamara, Kholeka, Sfiso and Veliswa.

Elsewhere, exhausted with the American twang that

dominated local hip-hop, the Motswako sound started taking root. The clarion call was ‘Ga se mo States mo’ (This is not the United States) in an attempt to be more authentic

to the African experience. A group of young men in Mahikeng thought it fashionable to rap in Setswana and that caught fire.

Crowded Crew, a group of

four, invented their own township lingo mixed with Setswana on songs like Inna Di Placa while HHP ventured out as the rapper who sings Pantsula in Setswana. In later years came Morafe, famous for The Whole Thang.

These efforts gave the industry big names like KB Motsilanyane, Khuli Chana and Towdee Mac who are still making great music.

Along with the intensity and passion of the 1995 Rugby World Cup was the rousing soundtrack of the rendition of World in Union by PJ Powers and Ladysmith Black Mambazo. It was the turn of TKZee in 1998 to rally the nation around Bafana Bafana’s efforts at the France soccer World Cup with Shibobo featuring Benny McCarthy.

With such booming talent in the ’90s, the music industry gathered in 1995 for the first-ever SA Music Awards (Sama). The awards didn’t immediately embrace the new kwaito sound. It had been criticised for having one-line lyrical content.

The winners came from jazz and white pop genres.

The Sama brand grew exponentially over the years, attracting corporate sponsorship and with the industry buy-in became a red carpet weekend extravaganza at Sun City it was known for before the Covid-19 pandemic.

While at the Superbowl of the Sun City, the tour-de-force that is TKZee would make history, walking away with four trophies in one night.

They lived fast, partied hard and were enormously talented. The three-piece boy band of Tokollo Tshabalala, Kabelo Mabalane and Zwai Bala made the coolest kwaito music they even named it Guz subgenre.

They were smart, St. Stithians-educated young men who spoke English through the nose, and Bala was from the prestigious Drakensberg Boys Choir.

From their first single Palafala, it was clear that the trio was cut from a different cloth. Hits like Dlala Mapantsula and We Love This Place are some of their finest compositions that show off their sophistication and finesse. There was something crispy fresh about them. A flavour unknown.

They seemed to attract controversy at every turn. If it wasn’t rumours of drug abuse, it was a deadly high speed car chase in Botswana that claimed the life of a Motswana woman.

The group expanded with the introduction of TKZee Family and recorded some of the most controversial songs, some like Izinja Zam attacking the media and others like Mr & Mrs Fake too provocative as they took cheap shots at a kwaito power couple, but the delightfully riotous Fiasco made up for all the tension and awkwardness.

16 TimeOut Connie, Felicia, VMash among pioneers as SA searched for new heroes

By Lesley Mofokeng

Television was only 18 years old in SA in 1994. The newly freed black audiences were looking for new heroes. And so the Morokas became woven into the fabric of the SA TV viewing family when the first episode of Generations was beamed and Rebecca Malope sang Indlela Zimbili at a funeral of the Moroka matriarch.

Something bigger was brewing. A stunner from Kimberley via Lobatse, who was last seen on the Tswana drama Maitemogelo, was front, back and centre. It could have been her perfectly chiselled high cheek bones or svelte figure of a beauty queen, but Connie Masilo had arrived.

She played the role of Karabo Moroka, the troubled daughter with a chequered past, yet she was so lovable and kindhearted.

Her battles against drug addiction and terrible choices in men made her accessible and resonated with the viewers. She had the money and lived in the lap of luxury, so she remained aspirational while real.

Today she is known as Connie Ferguson, and as a TV mogul of The Queen and Rockville fame, she has stayed the course and has been a staple of local TV for more than 30 years.

The format of daytime talk television was the stuff of Barbara Walters and Oprah Winfrey in the US. A former exile landed back on our turf and in-

Friday June 25 2021 Sowetan

Sowetan 40 x Netflix

Candice Modiselle (JIVA!) is seen behind the scene, ready to recreate the role of former Miss SA Jacqui Mofokeng. / P H O T O S / VELI NHLAPO

Black stars who lit up our TV screens after ’94 troduced a flavour never seen before. She was impeccably groomed in Escada and her trusted pixie haircut rivalled Toni Braxton’s.

Felicia Mabuza-Suttle seemed to polarise the country – whether it was over her name, the content of The Felicia Show, or her mannerisms.

She was ahead of her time and pushed the feminist agenda unashamedly, and that earned her admiration and disgust in equal measure.

Friday evenings were for appointment viewing for the youth music game show Jam

Sthandile Nkosi (Unannounced Netflix Show) and Khosi Ngema (Blood & Water) as Boom Shaka’s Lebo Mathosa and Thembi Seete.

Alley. I remember my then 70something old grandfather yelling thatha bangane, thata and I knew Vinolia Mashego had arrived. My grandfather was a minister of the verkrampte N.G. Kerk but he too could not resist the charisma of V-Mash.

She was loud, brash, bold and commanded respect. She and Nimrod Nkosi represented the new cool on TV with those baggy jeans and jackets and plastic designs by Ineeleng Kavindama.

Later in the night Studio Mix brought music videos from all over the world and locally to our screens. The hosts were the charming and smooth radio personality Bob Mabena and the laid-back stunner Melanie Son (now Bala).

The two became the personification of cool as their names shot up the stratosphere of fame, thanks to their talent, chemistry and looks.

Zama-Zama izokusetha man became synonymous with veteran actress Nomsa Nene, who made a TV comeback as the cleavage-flashing, flirty, playful and fun host of the game show.

The trajectory of TV production took a turn with the rise of lifestyle magazine shows and, most importantly, dramas and soapies. Carol Bouwer, the former Generations actress whose matchmaking show Buzz showed off her presenting skills, ventured out with her own talk show called Motswako – The Mix, which launched her as a player in the TV production stakes.

Already a formidable and glamorous TV presenter, Basetsana Kumalo and her business partner Patience Stevens had earned legions of followers and admirers with a travel and lifestyle show called Top Billing. Kumalo toured the

Candice Modiselle (JIVA!) as former Miss SA Jacqui Mofokeng. world, sampled exquisite cuisine in exotic locations and interviewed Hollywood’s most sought-after talents, all the ingredients for a must-see programme.

In 1997 Marah Louw and Glen Lewis were mother and son on Muvhango, the new Venda soapie on SABC. It was about the family in Johannesburg and the one in Venda fighting over the burial of its father figure.

Isidingo was launched in a mine shaft in 1998 and heralded a new era. It became competition for Generations, even though they were on different time slots.

Being on SABC3 while Generations was on SABC1 meant that the nuances and how far the script would be pushed would be different.

Hlomla Dandala as Derek Nyathi and Bianca Amato as Philippa de Villiers, the interracial couple, was groundbreaking for TV audiences still grappling with the new SA. Set in the fictional Vulindlela College, the e.tv drama Backstage reflected the

energy, aspirations and challenges faced by the young people in 2000. The characters came from diverse backgrounds and pursued careers in performance and entertainment arts. It gave the industry stars like Katlego Danke, Lorcia Cooper, Rami Chuene and Bonnie Mbuli.

His father was a comedian par excellence and his mother a revered actress, so Somizi Mhlongo was born to be a star.

He was groomed for the stage from an early age and went on to dazzle international audiences as part of Sarafina! It wasn’t until the film that the nation noticed the fresh-faced son of Mshefane in the role of Fire. It was only the start of great things.

Another Sarafina! alumni is Leleti Khumalo, who played the lead character in the stage and film versions of the iconic production.

She became the poster girl for all young girls who wished to pursue a career in performance. So many Sarafinas were born on school and church stages across SA.

Sowetan Monday June 28 2021

By Emmanuel Tjiya

Veteran photojournalist Tladi Khuele recalls what a rare feat it was to capture multiracial band Juluka, fronted by Johnny Clegg, during SA’s apartheid era.

So, when the entertainment desk at Sowetan’s sister publication, The Rand Daily Mail, gave Khuele a tip-off in 1984 that Juluka would be performing at the Jabulani Amphitheatre in Soweto, he knew he was part of history.

That iconic image of Clegg and Juluka dancer Dudu Zulu now forms part of the rich Arena Holdings archive. As part of a collaboration between Sowetan and Netflix honouring the paper’s 40th anniversary, fellow lensman Siphiwe Mhlambi has reimagined the moment.

The updated version features Blood & Water star Arno Greeff and Jiva! actor Prince Grootboom slipping into character as Clegg and Zulu.

“Every photographer wanted to get a picture of Johnny Clegg and Sipho Mchunu performing together. It was very rare in the apartheid era to get a white man in Zulu regalia and actually speaking Zulu,” Khuele recalled.

“I took that picture with that mindset that [I had to] take the best picture of this man. What I like about photography is that you record the moment and then that picture becomes part of history. I recorded history and it made me feel good.

I took that picture and I got very excited and proud.”

Born in Alexandra township in northern Johannesburg, Khuele is a self-taught photographer and started taking pictures in high school in 1978 as a way to earn pocket money.

He moved to taking professional pictures for Homemakers in 1981.

Khuele’s photojournalism

Sowetan

News 5

x Netflix

Khuele’s lens captured priceless historical moments Why Juluka's picture was a special triumph

Veteran photojournalist Tladi Khuele. / VELI NHLAPO

career then kicked into high gear when he was a freelancer for The Rand Daily Mail in 1982.

In 1983, he was assigned to capture squatters between Katlehong and Vosloorus on the East Rand. Khuele remembers how the squatters were given a 2pm deadline to vacate the area and he had arrived early to capture the moment.

But the police arrived earlier than expected too, forcefully removing and beating the squatters. A journalist for The Rand Daily Mail was also badly injured in the process and Khuele took a picture of a white policeman chasing him.

The next day that picture

Johnny Clegg with Juluka live on stage. T L A D I K H U E L E / R A N D D A I LY M A I L /A R E N A H O L D I N G S

made the front page of the paper and launched his career.

Khuele was then hired permanently and worked there until the publication shut its doors in 1985.

Khuele relocated to Lesotho and worked as chief photographer for The Nation. He made a return to SA a year later to join Zwelakhe Sisulu’s New Nation but left in 1987. A stint at Pace magazine followed and

then City Press, where he worked for 10 years. In 1993, he documented pictures of Chris Hani after he was assassinated at his Boksburg home.

The 63-year-old lensman joined Sunday World in 2000 after a five-month stint at Beeld. He left in 2004 and has been freelancing ever since.

“My life right now is upside down. As a result of the pandemic, we are not getting

assignments,” Khuele said “Having worked for all these great newspapers, my wish is for whoever is in charge to call some of those guys who made these newspapers what they are today, like myself, and just give us some freelance gigs.

“I don’t want to get political about it but this is my reality. I have no work but I will not stop taking pictures. I don’t despair.”

Recreating Boom Shaka look was a perfect fit for Siyababa Designer says music duo's vibe resonates with him

By Emmanuel Tjiya

Avant-garde fashion designer Siyababa believes that recreating the Boom Shaka look for Sowetan40 x Netflix may have come early in his career, but it is the perfect fit.

Born Siyabonga Mtshali, his label Siyababa Atelier that launched in 2019 is one of the most promising labels to watch in SA. The 22-year-old is the go-to designer for style chameleons such as Rich Mnisi, Boity Thulo and Moonchild Sanelly.

So, when it came to recreating Lebo Mathosa and Thembi Seete’s provocative looks at the 1999 SA Music Awards (Samas), only one man could

Fashion designer Siyababa. / SUPPLIED

be trusted with the job.

“It’s a beautiful moment and it came early in my career. But it just made sense for me to recreate these two looks. The vibe of Boom Shaka resonates with me because my brand is very daring and out there,” Siyababa said.

“I had to re-watch their old performances, extract the vibe again and relive their moment to go and design. I watched

Sowetan 40 x Netflix Boom Shaka recreated with Sthandile Nkosi and Khosi Ngema behind the scenes in Johannesburg. / V E L I N H L A P O

them speak and their attitude.

“I wanted to embody who they are and modernise it.

They were fashion icons then and I think they would be wearing these dresses now.”

For the updated looks modelled by rising stars Sthandile Nkosi and Khosi Ngema, the designer opted for an asymmetrical silhouette to give that modern spin – instead of doing a column shape.

“I grew up in a household full of women and I was jealous of them. They had the Boom Shaka hair and everything. I always wondered why I can’t do that,” Siyababa said.

“I have been influenced by women’s fashion for a long time. The first style that I was introduced to was from my sisters, aunts and mother. It’s the style that Boom Shaka had.

I’m referring to the box braids, denim, sheer looks, big boots and oversized jackets.”

Born in the small Esikhawini township in Richards Bay, Siyababa knew when he was a 15-year-old Grade 9 pupil that he wanted to be a fashion designer. He formed part of The Movement, a small group that specialised in creative consultation, brand management, styling and photography. They did promotions for clubs and events around Richards Bay. He then studied from 2017 at Johannesburg’s Lisof Fashion School – where Mnisi and Thebe Magugu also studied.

His graduate collection in 2019 launched Siyababa Atelier. He describes himself as a “daring, flamboyant and avantgarde conceptual designer”.

Part three of Sowetan40 x Netflix will debut exclusively in TimeOut on Friday and looks at the 2000s through the lens of Austin Malema, paired with writers Londiwe Dlomo and Karabo Ledwaba.

TimeOut Sowetan

You’ve made it

Trompies, HHP, Khanyi, Terry and Tsotsi helped put SA on the map

By Londiwe Dlomo

Madibuseng, by Trompies, is one of the most distinct memories of the 2000s. The song’s catchy hook, “sometimes ugreeni, sometimes uoranji”, was an anthem older guys would often use to acknowledge their women troubles.

Iconic pop diva Lebo Mathosa as the video vixen was a style inspiration for many women, with her outfit changes matching the ispoti (pantsula bucket hat) of each of the Trompies members.

The 1990s kwaito group continued to make groovy hits in the changing music scape of Mzansi.

Band memeber Jakarumba’s pantsula dance moves of collapsing his body onto a crate of cool drinks combined with his loose-necked ritual of bobbing his head to the beat of the song was also iconic, mimicked by many a youngster. Can I get a tjovitjo?

This was the era of abomajaivane (street dancers), dare I say the crush for schoolgirls.

The group was part of many others who pioneered kwaito, which is arguably the epitome of kasi culture. Back to the fashion of Madibuseng, each member of the group donned oversized, abstract shirts paired with chinos and All Stars – of course, the trademark ispoti completed the look.

Another fashion signature for the group was monochrome short sets with undone belts completing their swag – don’t forget ispoti and All Stars.

Trompies member Eugene Mthethwa explains that their trendy get-ups were not so much fashion statements but rather a matter of using what they had at hand. He adds that the outfits were a way of communicating to their fans that they were relatable and part of the community.

“I am happy now that young people who are doing amapiano are acknowledging that there is our genre that laid the foundation,” Mthethwa said.

“Amapiano and gqom came from kwaito. All these other genres that originate from townships, they borrow from kwaito. We have encouraged the young people doing amapiano to sample our music because it is the immortalisation of our music.”

In the 2000s, kwaito experienced fresh rejuvenation.

Mshoza, annointed The First Lady of Kwaito, took up space with Kortes – an ode to ispoti.

Somehow Kortes evolved to being an adjective used to describe a petite woman.

Sowetan 40 x Netflix Friday July 2 2021Sowetan

14

SA’s golden generation left the world green with envy at the talent

Trompies recreated by Lethabo Bereng (How To Ruin Christmas), Leroy Siyafa, Dillon Windvogel (Blood & Water) and Prince Grootboom (JIVA!) / A U S T I N M A L E M A Other young kwaito voices also included Mzambiya and Msawawa. The latter arrived on the scene at 10 years old and was popular for his contortionist style dance move of being folded to make a human back pack.

More edgy and cool female vocalists arrived on the scene to further push the envelope and the girl power legacy left

by Boom Shaka. Soothing ballads from Lebo “Elle” Tisane (Nobody But You) and Tsakani “TK” Mhinga (How Do You Feel) gave R&B a local twist.

Kelly Khumalo, with her red beaded harness, demanded our undivided attention. She had many shook with Itshitshi – was she a virgin? Chomee held it down on the dance floor with Jiva Sexy.

It’s no surprise that every young woman wanted to be a “Y2K babe”. The hottest hair trend was the yaki, not forgetting the clip-on hair extensions and sew-ins. Thanks to dancers from one of Arthur Mafokate’s risqué music videos, the mnike skirt became a must-have. Often made of denim fabric, the skirt had a

Trompies’ Eugene Mthethwa, Zynne Sibika, Jairus Nkwe and Mandla Mofokeng. / V E L I N H L A P O triangular hem line. It was styled with an asymmetrical top that we quickly dubbed “one-hand” in Mzansi.

The fashion was simply ghetto fabulous. It was the era of low-rise jeans, loud monogrammed designer goods, handkerchief tops and colourful wraparound sunglasses.

Uyanda Mbuli became the face of it all. The men could not get enough of FUBU as well as the denim-to-denim looks.

The ever so vivacious

Khanyi Mbau entered the picture and had cameras flashing to her every move. She burst onto our screens succeeding Lindiwe Chibi to portray Doobsie in Muvhango.

Khabonina Qubeka later became the third actor to play the role. Mbau heralded a new generation of “get famous or go home”.

Before social media influencers ever dreamed of the soft life, Mbau lived it. Her bragging about blue cheese,

croissants, sushi and Louis Vuitton made her a controversial pop culture figure. Kenny Kunene would later follow in her footsteps by eating sushi off naked women and earning the moniker “Sushi King”.

On the other hand, Mbau’s taboo antics scored her the nickname “Queen of Bling” and with the help of author and former Sowetan entertainment editor Lesley Mofokeng she diarised it all in her book Bitch, Please! I’m Khanyi Mbau.

Mbau is a case study in redemption and gave Mzansi a glimpse of Hollywood-style fame, which would be an underlying theme during the decade. Mbau has since moved from being that girl in the yellow Lamborghini to being a celebrated actor, radio/TV presenter, reality TV star and business mogul. She is now known as the queen of reinvention.

The 2000s were a time when fame was kicked into the stratosphere and it was no longer only about being popu-

Continued to page 15

Sowetan Friday July 2 2021

TimeOut 15

Sowetan 40 x Netflix

Veli Nhlapo took original Trompies photo, recreated by Lethabo Bereng (How To Ruin Christmas), Leroy Siyafa, Dillon Windvogel (Blood & Water) and Prince Grootboom (JIVA!) / M P U M E L E L O M A C U lar in the country.

“Whose it gonna be next in line?” go the pop lyrics from Coca-Cola Pop Stars group 101.

The show was one of our first music reality TV shows in the country in 2002 after Shell Road To Fame of the 1980s and ’90s. And indeed, who would be next? Who would take our postapartheid television and our postapartheid sound intercontinental?

The cast of Tsotsi rose to the occasion, winning the Oscar for best foreign language film in 2006. Leading lady Terry Pheto, who had never even watched the Oscars, found herself at the centre of a media storm. Attending the Oscars alongside co-star Presley Chweneyagae (The River) and director Gavin Hood (X-Men Origins: Wolverine), Pheto oozed elegance on the red carpet in a strapless red ombre Marianne Fassler gown. Pheto remembers how the win fired up parents and children to see the arts as a viable career.

“The industry was opening up in the sense that there were a lot of international movies being shot in South Africa at the time, it made the acting space so exciting,” Pheto recalled. “We knew that the work that we do will travel, that the world is actually waiting for our stories.”

Television was now in its 30s since it first arrived in SA in 1976. The prestigious SA Film and Television Awards (Saftas) launched in 2006. Around the same time Backstage concluded and new daily drama Rhythm City introduced us to

Suffocate Ndlovu (Mduduzi Mabaso), Rachel Phakathi (Lucia Mthiyane) and David Genaro (Jamie Bartlett). Sello Maake Ka-Ncube, renowned for the longest time as Archie Moroka on Generations, was reintroduced to a new age group when Scandal! launched.

Local drama Home Affairs made Nthati Moshesh a TV darling. Vatiswa Ndara, Brenda Ngxoli and Lerato Mvelase were there alongside Moshesh.

Ngxoli and Mvelase even got a nod at the International Emmy Awards.

Gaz’lam depicted a modern day Romeo and Juliet love story with Sifiso (Siyabonga Shibe) and Khethiwe (Mbali Ntuli). Viewers loved to hate Israel Matseke-Zulu as GP and Menzi Ngubane as Jerome.

Popeye (Kere Nyawo) and Spinach (Thulani Didi) captured the spirit of brotherhood in soccer drama Zone 14.

Fake it until you make it was the text for youth TV drama Tshisa. The show made freshfaced actors Enhle Mbali Mlotshwa and Bongani Ma-

‘‘

sondo household names. Manaka Ranaka and James Ngcobo melted hearts in comedy series Stokvel. Chris Brown made a guest appearance on Generations. Senzo (Thami Mngqolo) and Jason (Zolisa Xaluva) were locking lips in the show’s first same-sex romance.

Afternoons belonged to YoTV with Carly Fields, Sidwell “Psyfo” Ngwenya, Hulisani “CC” Ravele, Selae Thobakgale and Sade Giliberti. Everyone from Mark Fish to the late Lesego Motsepe spilt their guts on daytime talk show 3Talk with Noeleen, hosted by Noeleen MaholwanaSangqu. Unflinching Debora Patta kept viewers on the edge of their seats with 3rd Degree.

Big-budget Hollywood feature films Lord of War (2005) and District 9 (2009) were being shot in the country.

The local film industry was booming with Rapulana Seiphemo-led Jerusalema and Leleti Khumalo’s Yesterday, which was nominated for an Oscar in 2004.

Bonnie Henna lived the Hol-

lywood dream with Drum, Invictus and Catch a Fire. The New York Times wrote that her portrayal of Precious Chamusso in Catch a Fire “has a grace and freshness reminiscent of Audrey Hepburn”.

It was also the golden age of bom’rapper (local rappers) with the likes of Skwatta Kamp, Khuli Chana, ProVerb, Amu, H2O, Morafe, Tuks Senganga, Tumi and the Volume, Teargas and Prokid dominating airwaves.

Then there was one of the custodians of the Motswako sound, HHP (Hip Hop Pantsula), who took it to unimaginable heights with songs such as Bosso, Tswaka and Music & Lights. He flew the Maftown flag high, all the way to being crowned the champion of Strictly Come Dancing.

HHP became the first South African to be nominated for a BET Award. He was innovative and experimental; he was one of the few rappers who performed with a live band. He even hosted the SA Music Awards. The world was his oyster.

“He was one of the firsts to blur the lines when it came to different genres. He would fuse indigenous sounds, jazz, soul and R&B, kwaito quite seamlessly and successfully,” his widow Lerato Sengadi said.

He also had a talk show, The Respect Show.

American musician Amerie made a cameo in his music video for Music & Lights.

HHP collaborated with various artists from the rest of the African continent. HHP was never afraid to try something even if it was not popular. He was respected and loved by SA. For his North West brethren he sounded like home, for the rest of the country and the world he illuminated his home.

“I think where he is now he’s looking down and is so proud.

He is so proud because he almost opened the floodgates for even amapiano,” Sengadi said. “If anything, Jabba was skilled at writing a kwaito beat. … That’s how gifted and blessed and legendary he was.”

Long after I’m gone, I want to be remembered for the good job I did with my camera. Being on this project was indescribable, I was excited and shocked by how the young stars were happy to be in my presence.

Veli Nhlapo

SOWETAN PHOTOGRAPHER

16 TimeOut

Friday July 2 2021 Sowetan

Sowetan 40 x Netflix

Nkalakatha heralded a new dawn of hope for SA youth Legends of 2000s were brave to test boundaries, to follow their dreams

By Karabo Ledwaba

After decades of turmoil during apartheid and the political violence of the 1990s, Y2K flew in solid with the smash hit Nkalakatha by kwaito superstar Mandoza.

We had safely made it to a new millennium and a hopefilled youth wanted to party.

The song, which according to award-winning producer Gabi le Roux was made just weeks after the birth of Mandoza’s son Tokollo, was produced while the musician was at his happiest. It became an anthem in all households and parties across SA and it’s arguably the biggest crossover song to come out of the country. With his deep, gravelly, distinct voice and signature sunglasses, Mandoza made sure

we knew that kwaito was still there to stay.

“Till today, you go to any bar mitzvah, a wedding or office party and Nkalakatha will be played. It doesn’t matter your race. The song had a rock feel that appealed to people and, of course, his voice was loved,” commented Le Roux.

Nkalakatha was one of the first crossover kwaito songs that was played on predominantly white radio stations of the time such as 5FM, making Mandoza one of the biggest superstars. A quick YouTube search 21 years later pulls up a wedding video where an old white man is seriously getting down to the song.

Though most of us know the star because of the record, he rightfully wanted to be known for his body of work that included being a part of the legendary group Chiskop, which he founded with his childhood friends Sibusiso Thanjekwayo, Siphiwe “The General GTZ” Sibisi and Sizwe Motaung.

The 2000s epoch brought music that was hot and musi-

Mandoza became Mzansi’s pop icon via breakout hit Nkalakatha. / T H E M B I N KO S I D WAY I S A

cians such as Freshly Ground, Malaika, Mafikizolo, Prokid and Zola found their feet and audience.

It was Prokid’s hip-hop song Ungaphel’ Umoya Son that showed us that despite the success some in our communities were enjoying in the new SA, the majority of black people were still facing the consequences of brutal apartheid legacy.

“Ungaphel’ Umoya Son... ey this one is ‘specially dedicated to you out there suffering... Letting you know that sisonke’,” Pro famously rapped.

Zola’s impact also cannot be denied. His music discography from Umdlwembe and Bhambatha, to being the sound behind Oscar-winning movie Tsotsi, to his work on television with shows such as Zola 7 and television drama series Yizo Yizo makes him an arts and culture icon in his own right.

The man could not go anywhere without jubilant children running after him and throwing up Zola 7 signs in the air.

It was the likes of these musicians who wanted to be on SA’s hottest youth station YFM where Fana Khaba, popularly known as DJ Khabzela, bought us magic with his lively personality and fresh content to the youth’s hungry ear.

His relatability made him one of the most popular radio DJs of the time. He made it out of poverty and so could you, was his stance. This naturally made him a favourite with underdogs, prisoners and taxi drivers.

But the DJ shocked the nation when he announced to his fans that he was HIV-positive, making him the first black male celebrity to openly disclose his status. A month before he died, Khabzela received the Nation Builder Award in 2004 for his contribution to destigmatising HIV/Aids.

Khabzela’s death from Aids complications brought a sharp

‘‘

Race didn’t matter, the song appealed to people

Mandoza reshoot played by Zamani Mbatha for JIVA! /A U S T I N M A L E M A

focus to the failure of the Thabo Mbeki administration and late health minister Manto Tshabalala-Msimang in bringing the treatment of HIV to the forefront in SA. Despite Khabzela’s privilege and access to the best medicine, he became one of the 300,000 South Africans that died without antiretroviral treatment.

Afro-pop star Umanji, who brought us the hit Moloi, which tackled the controversial topic of ageism and beauty politics in his village of Mogoto in Zebediela, Limpopo, was another star who died from an Aids-related illness in the early 2000s. The South African Music Awards winning star bought us albums such as Wantolobela and Ndlala before his death in 2008.

Abashante star Zombo also died in the same year having contracted the deadly virus.

Famous or not, Aids had no mercy for promising youth.

TV show One, later known

as Live Amp, modernised radio style TV shows that continued showcasing the new wave of talent. Personalities such as Andile Ncube and Bonang Mathebe successfully debuted on the small screen.

With kwaito and house music dominating the airwaves and TV shows such as Jam Alley, it was a pleasant surprise to a young Simphiwe Dana when her music captured the heart of the country.

At 24, she released the timeless album Zandisile, which had hits such as Ndiredi and Ingoma in an era where the new SA was still finding itself.

“Zandisile was inspired by a hope for a better and a new day, especially for the youth.

This was a time to explore black identity in SA and understand who we were in a postcolonial country. It was a time for a new discovery, a selfdiscovery,” Dana said.

Continued to page 17

Sowetan Friday July 2 2021

TimeOut 17

Sowetan 40 x Netflix

Dillon Windvogel from Blood & Water as DJ Khabzela. /A U S T I N M A L E M A

Tira unleashed Durban Finest on the airwaves It was this beautiful encapsulation in her art of what it meant to be black and young in SA and her undeniable Xhosa beauty that cemented her as an icon. Her 2005 Sama wins as best newcomer and best jazz vocal album was just the beginning of a phenomenal career that has spanned 16 years.

“I was in disbelief that my music was so well embraced. It was a time when kwaito and house music was so popular so I was astounded at the reception,” she said.

Reigning as the “new Miriam Makeba”, Dana says she has always loved the Pata Pata star and is honoured the comparison is part of her legacy.

“Being compared to Miriam Makeba was very empowering. I grew up listening to her music and that sound was very familiar to me. This was music I listened to in the village at initiations and weddings. It made me feel that I was not out of place. This was the

‘‘

Comparison to Miriam Makeba very empowering

sound that inspired me to write music.”

The now 41-year-old musician adds that though she has had many highs in her music career, such as performing at the Cape Town Jazz Festival, The Queen Elizabeth Hall and the Apollo, she wants to be remembered for her activism and being named the convener of the AU’s arts and culture festivities.

“I would hope one of the things I am most remembered for is my sense of justice and my bid to humanise our experiences through music and my activism.”

The early 2000s was a special time for jazz music. Judith Sephuma bought us the critically acclaimed album A Cry, a Smile, a Dance. We also met the lovely Zama Jobe with her song Ndawo Yami. Established artists such as Sipho Gumede, Sibongile Khumalo, Jabu Khanyile, Vusi Mahlasela, Jonas Gwangwa and Selaelo Selota were also still giving us classic works firmly putting SA jazz at the front of the pack.

The Durban sound, led by the indefatigable DJ Tira, made itself known during this explosion of new talent.

Tira garnered attention with DJ Sox when they founded Durban’s Finest, a group that would set the house music scene on fire. Tira later launched Afrotainment, signing a new wave of KwaZulu-

DJ Fana ‘Khabzela’ Khaba, was a breath of fresh air on radio. / S I M O N Natal heavyweights DJ Cndo, DJ Fisherman and Big Nuz. Big Nuz and DJ Tira dropped Umlilo just in time to bow out of 2009 and a year later cleaned up at the Samas.

House musicians with a jazz flair such as Zakes Bantwini dominated the charts with songs such as Juju, which was one of the rare house songs of the 2000s that allowed a vocalist to share equally in the fame of well-known producers such as Black Coffee. His spectacular dance moves in the iconic video won them the best music video award at the Samas.

House vocalists Bucie (Superman), Winnie Khumalo (Live My Life) and Bongi Dube (Go Around) also made big

splashes. Culoe de Song, Rhythmic Elements, DJ Cleo, DJ Ganyani, Lulo Cafe, DJs Vetkuk vs Mahoota, DJ Sbu, Fistaz Mixwell, DJ Kent and many more served up a tasty menu for house fans.

But it wasn’t just musicians and actors whose art was impressing the world. This was the era where we were introduced to the indomitable David Tlale.

SA fashion was a fledgling industry but was closely intertwined with music and the African renaissance. Iconic brand Loxion Kulca, founded

by Wandi Nzimande and Sechaba Mogale, bought SA streetwear to the top with celebrities such as Zola,

M AT H E B U L A

Khabzela and TKzee often wearing their threads.

“In the early 2000s, we were seeing the likes of Loxion Kulca, Stoned Cherrie, Magents.

All of these people were playing a major role just after democracy. Before them fashion was not an industry, it was a trade. Before 1994 fashion was just known as dress making,” said Tlale.

Tlale’s decision to drop out of auditing school to pursue his passion has led to a phenomenal 18-year career.

“I think dropping out was the most memorable moment of my career. I was in a class and I decided I wanted to be a fashion designer,” recalled highly decorated designer.

TimeOut Sowetan

Sowetan 40 x Netflix Friday July 9 2021Sowetan

You’ve made it

14

Zozi still breaking barriers in beauty pageant space ‘This is a platform for women, and it should be open to all types of women’ Zozibini Tunzi reimagined by Ama Qamata from Blood & Water. /THEMBA MBUYISA

By Emmanuel Tjiya

Zozibini Tunzi has been a public figure for only two years, but it feels like two decades.

Her trajectory to the top is an emblem of how the internet (lighting fast) and its fave offspring social media (fickle) have made it easy for hundreds like her to become superstars overnight in the 2010s.

But put some “respek” on her name, Tunzi has more than earned her stripes. She shifted the status quo for global beauty standards when she was historically crowned Miss Universe with her natural short hair.

Despite her crowning moment in December 2019 happening on the wake of the global pandemic, Tunzi remained unshaken and celestial. In the end, she became the longest reigning Miss Universe in 69 years.

Stranded in her New York, US, apartment, Tunzi relied on social media platforms and Zoom calls to connect with the universe and spread her message of hope. Unsurprisingly, she emerged as a beacon of light during the dark ages.

What is even more shocking is how short her Miss SA reign was – a short-lived two months. Before long, she was winning the world over at Miss Universe in Atlanta, Georgia, also in the US, with her roaring speech on representation and female empowerment.

“I grew up in a world where a woman who looks like me, with my kind of skin and kind of hair, isn’t considered beautiful,” Tunzi, born in Eastern Cape’s village of Sidwadweni, charged at Miss Universe. “I want children to look at me and see my face, and I want them to see their faces reflected

Former Miss Universe Zozibini Tunzi / S E B A B AT S O MOSAMO

in mine.”

Tunzi has paved the way for her predecessor and Limpopo’s finest, Shudufhadzo Musida, who was titled Miss SA with a shaved-head and hour-glass figure. Since 2019, transgender women have been eligible to enter Miss SA and this year, Lehlogonolo Machaba made history by becoming the first trans woman to openly enter the pageant.

Tunzi believes more can still be done to further advance the paradigm.

“I know that there are still some groups that are marginalised in the pageant space. This is a platform for women and it should be open to all types of women,” Tunzi says.

“Looking back to just 10 years ago, I would not have been able to win the pageants that I did.

I’m proud to have been the one at the door, even though there were many that came before me and paved the way.

“I’m happy to have cracked the door and opened it for many women who are going to come after me to live their wildest dreams.”

Tunzi is truly her ancestors’

wildest dreams, and ebony beauties like Jacqui Mofokeng, Basetsana Kumalo, Peggy-Sue Khumalo, Bokang MontjaneTshabalala and more, have paved the way by challenging Western pageantry standards.

“Growing up in a small town or village you never imagine that something like this can happen for you, I’m humbled to realise that I’m living my dream,” Tunzi enthuses.

“Jacqui Mofokeng is firstly an icon. I’d love to meet her because if it wasn’t for her I wouldn’t be where I am today.

It’s important to acknowledge the many others before me.

“Women like her had to crawl so I could run and fly.

Thank you for being brave, especially during a turbulent time for black people in SA.” Tunzi is one of many Miss SA winners in the 2010s that flew the SA flag high at international level. Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters won Miss Universe in 2017, while Rolene Strauss was crowned Miss World in 2014. Tamaryn Green placed first runner-up at Miss Universe in 2018, while Musida is heading to Miss World later this year.

Sowetan

Sowetan Friday July 9 2021

x Netflix

TimeOut 15

Cassper Nyovest shook up hip hop scene with his #FillUp series Emmanuel Tjiya forecasts what the future of music and the arts looks like. From Sho Madjozi to Bonang Matheba and Master KG, these are the bright stars that have captured melanin magic Cassper Nyovest’s #FillUp series of concerts at The Dome, Orlando, FNB, Royal Bafokeng and Moses Mabhida stadiums have made him the epitome of “black child it’s possible”.

After staging the first concert in the series in 2015, he earned his other sobriquet “Abuti Fill Up.” By leading by example, Cassper has shown local artists that they too can fill big live events as headliners and not just their international counterparts.

The same model has since been adopted by gospel sensation Dr Tumi and Tsonga musician Benny Mayengani.

That brilliant move has become synonymous with Cassper’s career; even joining Beyonce, Jay Z, Usher, Ed Sheeran and Chris Martin as the headliners for Global Citizen: Mandela 100 in 2018.

Similarly, Cassper has emerged as one of the biggest hip hop acts in Africa. His anthemic hits Doc Shebeleza, Gusheshe, Tito Mboweni and Mama I Made It have yielded collaborations across borders (Anthony Hamilton) and a nomination at BET Awards – losing out to Sjava in 2018.

Cassper’s biggest rap rival has been his nemesis AKA. Their beef – perhaps the biggest since Notorious B.I.G. and Tupac’s complex feud – saw shots being fired in diss tracks Composure (AKA) and Dust 2 Dust (Cassper).

In comparison, AKA has offered a more pop and crossover appeal rapping in English in

Cassper Nyovest Performing during the SAMAs at Sun City in North West. / S I Z W E N D I N G A N E

songs like Congratulate, Jealousy, Fela in Versace, The World is Yours, Badass and Caiphus Song. The Supa Mega has often been criticised for his use of auto-tone.

Then there is Kwesta, hailing from Katlehong on the East Rand, and he is a standout as he brings to the table a more kasi vibe. His tracks Ngud and Spirit – featuring American rapper Wale – changed the game.

Entering the industry at age 15, rapper Nasty C earned the

Cassper Nyovest, reimagined

by Prince Grootboom from JIVA! /THEMBA MBUYISA

nickname “Coolest kid in Africa” and bolted to stardom after the release of Hell Naw in 2015. Then came hits Black and White, SMA and They Don’t.

It’s also hard to ignore fellow KZN rapper Big Zulu as he towers above the rest. He is the

self-proclaimed king of inkabi (hitman) rap – a clever metaphor for spitting bars and rhyme while paying homage to his past as a taxi driver.

Other local rappers that have made all the right noise include Riky Rick, Emtee, K.O,

Zakwe, Duncan, Yanga Chief, A-Reece, YoungstaCPT and Shane Eagle. Female rappers Boity Thulo, Nadia Nakai, Gigi Lamayne, Rouge, Moozlie and Patty Monroe are fighting for their voices to be heard in the male-dominated genre.

‘Queen B’ has always ruled social media platform Matheba defines pop culture In the last 10 years, Bonang Matheba has not only owned “champagne darling” but she defined TV, radio and social media...pop culture was shook.

From hosting Top Billing to Clash of the Choirs, Afte rnoon Express and KFC Taste Kitchen, she further cemented her doyenne status after launching her presenting career on Live Amp in the 2000s.

Matheba, pictured, also became the quintessential master of ceremonies by hosting live awards shows – SA Music Awards, Metro FM Music

Awards and DStv Mzansi Viewers’ Choice Awards.

Hack, when Trevor Noah dropped out of hosting the 2016 MTV Africa Music Awards (Mamas) at the 11th hour, only Matheba was entrusted to host with Nomzamo Mbatha and Yemi Alade.

Matheba’s over-the-top looks during her hosting gigs, often collaborating with US-based stylist Harrison T. Crite, were simply divine and often stole the show.

Her radio slot The B* Hive on YFM was a hit earlier in the decade, then later The Front Row on Metro FM achieved the same feat. Of course, that was before her dramatic and

abrupt exit that saw Lerato Kganyago replace her. In the mid-2010s, Matheba underwent a ballsy rebrand. Many predicted her downfall, but Queen B never descended her throne.

Her Kardashian-esque transformation into reality television launched with Being Bonang in 2016. Together with her sidekick Tebogo “PinkyGirl” Mekgwe, they brought black girl joy to the small screen.

While Matheba quickly dumped her show after three seasons, an avalanche of celebrities flooded the reality TV space, including Somizi

Mhlongo, Khanyi Mbau, Kelly Khumalo, Boity Thulo, Penny Penny and Shauwn Mkhize.

This can be credited to the inception of Mzansi Magic that changed the TV landscape in terms of black representation. Shows like Isibaya, Our Perfect Wedding, Date My Family, Uthando Nesthembu, Rockville, Gomora and The Queen have been game-changers.

At the peak of her reality TV show, Matheba published selfhelp book From A to B in 2017 – it bombed. When the book received backlash for grammatical errors and typos, Queen B

didn’t waste time licking her wounds. She instead increased the volume on her social media content by cleverly launching her set of emojis dubbed “Bmoji”.

Matheba even co-produced and starred in documentary Public Figure that explored the lives of influencers. The era of the influencers has since birthed social media stars like Mihlali Ndamase, Trevor Stuurman, Lesego Legobane, Kefilwe Mabote and Sarah Langa. Matheba once again rebranded as a business mogul and ended the decade with a bang when she unveiled her signature alcoholic beverage, House of BNG.

Sowetan

16 TimeOut

x Netflix

Friday July 9 2021 Sowetan

Genre-bending music is the new cool influencing SA’s pop scene From Black Motion to Sho Madjozi, Mzansi is hooked Not all superheroes wear capes, and Sho Madjozi shows that some wear a xibelani (traditional Tsonga skirt).

Her kryptonite is the unwavering lyrics that celebrate her Tsonga pride and heritage.

By remaining authentically herself, the musician from Shirley village in Elim outside Louis Trichardt in Limpopo has turned the universe into her playground.

This is Sho Madjozi’s movie, we just happen to be extras in it. Every young girl, their mother and auntie have mimicked her kaleidoscope fashion and rainbow braids. The fastpaced xibelani dance choreography to hits Dumi Hi Phone, Huku and John Cena is the workout we can all sign up for.

Sho Madjozi has taken this once marginalised culture and repackaged it for a new cool generation. Shangaan disco trailblazer Peta Teanet, Thomas Chauke and Penny Penny walked the walk so Sho Madjozi can run the world.

“The language is melodic and even if you are not Tsonga you can sing it. We are well represented by Sho Madjozi; she came with her own style and took what we started further,” Penny Penny praises.

Sho Madjozi leads a new wave of local musicians both experimental with their unique sounds and uncompromising of their birthright.

KwaZulu-Natal singing duo Blaq Diamond are modern-

From page 15

Sho Madjozi reimagined by Candice Modiselle from JIVA! / T H E M B A MBUYISA

Sho Madjozi burst onto the scene in a kaleidoscope of colour with her Tsonga sound. / V E L I N H L A P O day rock stars with a sound they coined mbube (lion), heavily influenced by their musical hero Joseph Shabalala. Mbube is, of course, a nod to Solomon Linda’s famous song from the 1930s. Listen to Summer Yo Muthi and Ibhanoyi.

Focalistic is genre-blending, the music style of local hip hop and amapiano. His sonic catchphrase, “ase trap tse ke

pina tsa ko kasi” brilliantly captures his DNA. The Sepitori (Pretoria lingo) slogan loosely translates to: “this is not trap music, it’s songs we listen to in the township.”

Babes Wodumo has shown why wavy bass beats and earsplitting screams that frame gqom gets the ground shaking and triggers wild foot-stomping dance moves from listeners. No surprise not even Black Panther could resist Wololo.

Distruction Boyz (Omunye), Faka (Uyang’khumbula) and Dladla Mshunqisi (Pakisha) are

other gqom trailblazers. Not forgetting DJ Lag, and US musician will.i.am sampling his song, Ice Drop, without his permission. Black Motion’s winning genetic code has been the technique, beauty and art of dinaka, the traditional Pedi song-dance genre.

With bangers Matorokisi and Murahu, Makhadzi is taking Limpopo’s popularised “Tsa Manyalo” genre to the mainstream. From TikTok to Lock-

down House Party, the Yanos are all the rage. Beyoncé can’t get enough of our girls Moonchild and Busiswa. Alexa, play My Power!

But Afropop still dominates airwaves with a legion of hits including Loliwe (Zahara), Nomvula (Nathi Mankayi), Umamam (Sjava) Inde Lendlela (Ami Faku), Mthande (Musa) and As’phelalanga (Vusi Nova).

R&B is experiencing the biggest local revival since TK with Elaine (You’re The One), Langa Mavuso (Sunday Blues) and Ayanda Jiya (Go Go Girl).

How Trevor Noah paved way for big gigs for locals Arrival of streaming services solidifies all dreams are valid On March 30 2015, Mzansi woke up to the best news ever – then novice SA export Trevor Noah was to replace American late night TV titan Jon Stewart as host of Comedy Central’s Daily Show.

International media had a field day asking how relatively unknown Noah, who had appeared on the show as a con-

tributor, got to succeed such a gigantic name?

But back home, Noah’s appointment marked a new day on the horizon for a generation that had yearned for the Hollywood dream. So in true SA celebratory style, there were ululations and dancing.

Noah put the spotlight on SA like never before, doors were kicked open and so Mzansi occasionally woke up to more great news from Tinseltown in years that followed.

In 2016, it was Pearl Thusi’s turn when she was cast along-

side Priyanka Chopra in season 2 of espionage drama Quantico. Unfortunately, the show was canned.

But that never stopped Thusi, and with the arrival of video-on-demand platforms such as Netflix and Showmax, she became every casting director’s dream leading lady.

Subsequently, in 2018, news broke that Thusi will lead Netflix’s first original African series Queen Sono. Black Panther the same year featured local stars Connie Chiume, Atandwa and John Kani.

In 2019 Thuso Mbedu was chosen as lead star of Amazon Prime show The Underground Railroad, fresh off double International Emmy Award nominations for her careerdefining portrayal in Mzansi Magic TV series Is’thunzi.

Nomzamo Mbatha got her big Hollywood break in 2019 when cast in Coming 2 America, the sequel to the 1988 Eddie Murphy cult classic. Last year, Beyoncé’s Black is King featured Nandi Madida, Nyaniso Dzedze, Nambitha Ben-Mazwi and Warren Masemola.

Trevor Noah

The arrival of streaming services and demand of African content has solidified that all dreams are valid.

Sowetan

Sowetan Friday July 9 2021

x Netflix

TimeOut 17

Master KG leads in viral videos game Other SA entertainers also wow global audiences Master KG has ripped the most rewards of Gen Z’s meme culture by using a viral dance challenge to spread youth joy and cement the power of TikTok. He did it while practicing social distancing as part of Covid-19 regulations from the comfort of his home, and not even a global pandemic could stop his tumultuous rise.

Before the Jerusalema dance challenge took off, Master KG was long making waves by putting the Bolobedu house sound on the map. Late Bojo Mujo hit Summer Rain set the fire burning inside of him.

The 25-year-old megastar from Calais, outside Tzaneen in Limpopo, first garnered the attention of the nation in 2018

when he scooped the coveted SABC Summer Song of the Year gong with Skeleton Move.

It was the year that memes and viral dance challenges ignited Mzansi. His win upset fellow Bolobedu house maestro King Monada – a bigger name at the time – who was poised to clinch the prize with Malwedhe.

With hits like Ska Bhora Moreki, Monada has equally been trailblazing in the genre.

He also used the dance challenge culture to get his piece of the pie – giving the then niche genre modernity, swag and mainstream appeal. Think of the fainting dance craze triggered by Malwedhe.

Predictably, that birthed a rivalry between the two. But in an interview in July last year with Sowetan, Master KG squashed the beef before calling Monada his “homeboy”.

He referred to their banter as healthy competition, comparing it to soccer giants Orlando

Pirates and Kaizer Chiefs.

“We did music together before we both blew up. I remember I used to go to his place when things were really tough to make music,” he said.

It’s hard to pinpoint why the Jerusalema Dance Challenge became the biggest dance phenomenon since The Macarena. But one thing that stood out with Master KG is that he took his unique Bolobedu sound to the world.

Even when his peers ridiculed his sound, the world was listening. Therefore collaborations with Burna Boy, Akon and David Guetta followed. Even Vin Diesel, Janet Jackson and Chance The Rapper are fans.

He made Shazam Global Chart history by becoming the first African artist to top it. He bagged many international awards, including an MTV Europe Music Awards.

In April he took the Global Record of The Year Award at

Master KG has taken Bolobedu sound to the world. / V E L I N H L A P O the 2021 Global Music Awards Africa (GMAA) held virtually from Accra, Ghana, Aside from Master KG, the internet has also yielded some unorthodox media personali-

ties in the last 10 years. Following the demise of the skhothane scene, Riky Rick took cue from Rihanna’s “omelette dress” at the 2015 Met Gala. He proved how he got his other moniker “King Kotini” when he donned his faceless look at the 2018 SA Music Awards. Memers devoured him for breakfast.

YouTuber Lasizwe Dambuza trended his way to landing a reality TV show on MTV Base.

Vixen Zodwa Wabantu broke the internet by dropping a hot vosho at the 2018 Durban July; while socialite Skolopad’s yellow dress at the 2017 Metro FM Music Awards was provocative and got social media users talking.

From Major League DJz’s Slyza Tsotsi to Black Coffee’s We Dance Again and Uncle Vinny’s quirky signature moves, the dance challenges continue to capture Mzansi’s vibrant street culture.

African luxury fashion makes huge strides SA designers, artists earn international respect

Behind the scenes Sowetan 40 x Netflix former Miss Universe Zozibini Tunzi recreated with actor Ama Qamata behind the scenes in Johannesburg. From page 14 / V E L I N H L A P O

Sowetan 40 x Netflix Cassper Nyovest recreated with Prince Grootboom behind the scenes in Johannesburg.

From page 15. /VELI NHLAPO

The future of African luxury fashion is in good hands with Laduma Ngxokolo, Rich Mnisi, Thebe Magugu and Sindiso Khumalo building scalable empires.

Gone are the days of homegrown fashion limited to the timeless tribal print and streetwear, but the global market has shown an appetite for Africa’s fast-growing luxury goods economy.

Ngxokolo’s knitwear brand MaXhosa Africa is the most recognisable brand, thanks to its distinct Xhosa beadwork pattern. American costume designer Ruth E. Carter – known for her work in Black Panther – recently gave Ngxokolo her stamp of approval after featuring him in the Coming 2 America wardrobe picks.

Palesa Mokubung also received the same honour fresh off her label Mantsho, and scored a coup of being the first African designer to partner with Swedish chain store H&M. Magugu secured another victory after he historically became the first African designer to win the prestigious LVMH prize in 2019. Insecure stars Issa Rae and legendary Dionne Warwick have been draped in his threads.

Last year, before the global pandemic upset her plans, sus-

Laduma Ngxokolo tainable textile designer Khumalo was a finalist for the coveted LVMH prize.

During her performance at Global Citizen: Mandela 100, Beyoncé donned on stage a creation by fashion duo Quiteria & George – they have since went their separate ways.

In art, Limpopo-born Nelson Makamo and self-proclaimed visual activist Zanele Muholi from Umlazi, Durban in KwaZulu-Natal, are making bank from their bases in Johannesburg.

Palesa Mokubung