18 Apr 2018

South African heavy hitter Zakhlele Madida, popularly known as Zakes Bantwini is set to make his Mascom Live Sessions debut at BotswanaCraft come April 27, along with Botswana’s very own Kgotla Ntsima aka Juju Boy.

Organiser of the Mascom Live Sessions, Oliver Groth, said revellers should brace themselves for a thrilling night and setting the tone for this year’s shows.

Oliver said tickets go for P250 each and are already on sale at Botswanacraft.

“I wish to thank our sponsors and partners, The Voice, Savanna Dry, Duma FM, Travelodge, the Gazette, MI5 and Mascom Wireless for having been with us so far,” he said.

Zakes Bantwini is no stranger to Botswana as he has performed here a couple of times during his Clap Your Hands and Bum Bum heydays but it would be his first time being hosted by Mascom Live Sessions.

The South African muso is best known for bringing another South African artiste L’vovo Derrango to the masses as a kwaito sensation.

Being the owner of his own record label Mayonie Productions in Durban, he has combined his talent for music with adept business skills to manage music.

Zakes Bantwini’s music is creative and it is a combination of sophistication and dance music.

Reading his profile on his website www.zakesbantwini.co.za, Zakes Bantwini’s music is coined as Durban Kwaito Music (DKM), and fuses house beats with kwaito lyrics.

It further states that as a musician, he knows how to transfer into the role of producer and manager to direct the careers of Andile Masuku and others.

“By creating something that appeals to everyone who appreciates good music’s, Zakes quickly became a household name in the South African house music industry. He graduated from UKZN recently after holding a diploma in jazz and popular music from Natal Technikon. Mayonie Productions was created while finishing his last year at the technikon (2004).

He knew he wanted to be more than just a musician, which is why he formed his own label instead of struggling to find management that fit him,” reads the profile.

Zakes Bantwini wears many hats amongst them being husband to sultry South African actress, songstress Nandi Madida, whom most people knew as Nandi Mngoma and he is also head of artists and repertoire at Sony Music Africa.

Among his many achievements, Zakes Bantwini has also extensively worked with superstar Dj Black Coffee and it is noted that their latest collaboration promises to deliver an album that stands out.

“We have been friends with Black Coffee for so many years and the success of our collaboration on Juju, we felt it was time for us to work on an album together,” said Zakes Bantwini on his website.

The album is a collaboration between Zakes’s Mayonie Productions and Black Coffee’s Soulistic music.

As for Juju Boy, he is Botswana’s own rock n rolla rapper that most people credit for fusing the two genres to create his own signature music.

With a little over 10 years in the industry, he has managed to evolve with the times and keep relevant in this ever changing entertainment industry.

Having debuted his 20 track album One Man Rock Band in 2009, he has gone on to become a recognizable entertainer throughout Botswana and beyond borders for his amazing and unique sense of music and style.

With their contrasting styles, Zakes Bantwini and Juju Boy are set to thrill music lovers at BotswanaCraft and one can only imagine what their sets are going to be like, but one thing for sure is that it would be money well spent for those that enjoy socializing. Ends