The Princess of Africa, Yvonne Chaka Chaka

Long May Her Reign Continue

By Fiona Wakelin & Koketso Mamabolo

"I always say it found me,” says the Princess of Africa, Yvonne Chaka Chaka, after telling Top Empowerment the story of how her journey to becoming a superstar began while on the way to get a bursary. Before her voice catapulted her into stardom, making her a world renowned icon, she was a young woman who was figuring out her way in the world, carrying the dream her mother had for her children: The chance to live a life where they would not have to depend on others. Her mother, a domestic worker, instilled in her three daughters the importance of education.

“She would say, ‘You need to complete your matric, because then life begins. And then you can take yourself to college or university, but you need to make sure that you are empowered.” Studying law was the route her mother wanted her to take, but in 1985 Yvonne was at the right place at the right time. As she says, singing found her, and meeting Phil Hollis, the owner of Dephon Entertainment, changed the course of her life, and she went from a young woman born in Soweto to a world famous singer-songwriter and entrepreneur, and, later, a passionate teacher and humanitarian.

Becoming The Princess Of Africa

Singing wasn’t something Yvonne looked forward to. On the day her career began she was going to the Institute for Race Relations to try and get a bursary to study law. Clearly she was not the only one seeking an opportunity that day because the queues were long, so she took a detour and found herself at the SABC.

There she found a strict atmosphere, with each person paired up with another and asked to keep quiet. In walked Louis Hlophe, carrying with him tapes for Marjino (Kim Kelly), who happened to know the woman Yvonne was paired up with. Louis invited the woman to come with her, and in turn the woman invited Yvonne. He took them a block away, to Dephon Records, where they waited at reception.

First to be called into the boardroom was Yvonne’s partner, and while waiting Yvonne began to wonder to herself why she was there. As she was thinking of leaving, and heading back to the SABC, the other woman walked out and Yvonne was next. This is when she met Phil Hollis, who played her the instrumental for “I’m In Love With a DJ”. She found it “catchy and interesting” and said as much when they asked her if she liked the song, despite not knowing for what purpose they were asking.

She asked the obvious question: Whose song is it? They explained that they were looking for a young woman to be the vocalist and her immediate reaction was, “Oh, okay, good luck boss!” Not one to be deterred, Phil appreciated her attitude and despite her explaining what her intentions were that day, he wanted to know more about her.

He asked if she could sing and she told him it wasn’t her thing. But he insisted that she should give it a shot, and that she could sing anything. “Like what?” she asked. “Anything,” he replied. “Are you for real?” And, yes, he was for real. So she sang “Let It Be” by the Beatles, and one can only wonder what would have happened if she hadn’t taken the opportunity.

Phil opened the door and said, “I think I’ve found my girl!” He walked out of the boardroom in excitement and told everyone he’d found the vocalist he was looking for. He called Louis, who had unknowingly brought him the star he was looking for, and he called Mam’ Rose, the cleaner and said, “Come, I think I like this girl’s voice. It’s different.” And wasn’t just her voice that captivated him. It was also her wit and “cheekiness”.

So he gave her the tape with the instrumental, a piece of paper with the lyrics on it, and R20 - in four R5 notes, which was a large sum at that time. It was a Friday and he asked her to come back on Monday. Yvonne’s thoughts had already turned to the woman she was paired with, the one who’d asked her to come along and would now leave empty handed.

With all the commotion, the woman asked what was going on and Yvonne asked if they gave her the tape, or the lyrics, or the R20. The answer was no. Yvonne decided to leave and a small tussle ensued all the way out the building because the woman wanted half the money and was obviously disappointed that she’d missed her shot and this stranger had taken it from her.

As Yvonne explains: If something is meant for you, then it’s meant for you. But at that time she could not have known how big of an opportunity had just found its way to her and she took a taxi home thinking she had just been lucky enough to get money for doing nothing. Somewhere along the line something must have sparked her interest and she spent the weekend memorising the lyrics and trying to figure out how they fit to the music.

When she arrived back on Monday, Phil said he wasn’t sure that she would come back and just told him she wasn’t either. He took her across the road to the recording studio and explained what would happen, how she’d need to sing the song and introduced her to the song’s writer, Attie van Wyk.

After many takes, and the frustration that comes with it, they told her they were happy. Before she left, Phil asked for her number, and she was reluctant to give it to him, worried about what her mother would think. He explained that he needed to call her when it was time for the photoshoot and interview.

For that first photoshoot she refused to wear makeup, had to wear her sister’s red dress and went home like nothing had happened. Within a few weeks her first single had sold 25 000 copies, marking the beginning of a reign that has lasted almost 40 years.

Her humanitarian work began as a response to the loss of one of her band members, Phumzile, after a tour to Gabon. She had contracted malaria and despite the efforts of Yvonne’s husband to get Phumzile urgent medical attention, she succumbed to the disease a few days after being hospitalised. Wanting to understand more about the illness that had taken the life of someone she worked so closely with, Yvonne did extensive research on malaria. Not long after she received a call from Unicef in Ethiopia, asking if she’d like to be one of their Goodwill Ambassadors.

“I said to them I would love to be a Goodwill Ambassador, but I would like to make sure that no woman dies from malaria; no pregnant woman dies from malaria, no child under two dies from malaria. We need interventions,” she explains to Top Empowerment as an ambassador has spread over the years to include working with the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, TB and Malaria, as well as the Roll Back Malaria initiative.

Although she’s received accolades for her work, giving back to the people of Africa, and listening to their struggles is more important. “When I went to all these places, it gave me some kind of relief,” she says.

“I’m here to come and listen to your plights and to see how we can help. ”As the interview wraps up, she reflects the lessons her mother taught her. The value of an education, and the desire to empower others through education led her to teaching adults, and she herself remains a student, continuing to broaden her horizon.On a tour in 1990 to Uganda and the DRC, people waiting for her at the airport held up placards and said they were there to see their princess.

She credits them and Phil Hollis for dubbing her “The Princess of Africa”. And like the truly great monarchs, Yvonne’s life work has also included a great deal of time spent in service of others, as a teacher and a humanitarian. Long may her reign continue.