In January 2013, Mafikizolo released a song that announced their comeback so completely that it swept the country’s awards the following year.
“Khona”, featuring the production group Uhuru, came out on 10 January 2013 as the lead single from the album Reunited. It won Record of the Year at the 20th South African Music Awards, and the group took home a haul that included Album of the Year. It also won Song of the Year at the 2014 MTV Africa Music Awards.
Mafikizolo
Mafikizolo began in the 1990s in South Africa and became known for blending kwaito with older South African styles such as marabi and township jazz. Their early 2000s hits made them one of the country’s biggest groups. The group went through difficult times, including the death of member Tebogo Madingoane, who was shot dead in 2004.
The remaining members, Nhlanhla Nciza and Theo Kgosinkwe, pursued other projects before reuniting as a duo.
The song
“Khona” combined Nhlanhla’s powerful vocals with Theo’s harmonies over Uhuru’s upbeat house-influenced production. Its chorus and horn-like synth lines made it instantly catchy. The song’s title, from isiZulu, carries the sense of presence and arrival, which suited a comeback.
The music video, full of colour, dance and fashion, helped the song spread across Africa.
Across the continent
“Khona” became a hit beyond South Africa, played on radio and in clubs in Nigeria, Ghana, Kenya and elsewhere. It helped open the door to more collaborations between South African and West African artists. Mafikizolo later worked with Nigerian stars, and their follow-up releases kept them on the continental stage.
At weddings
The song has become a staple at weddings, parties and celebrations, especially in southern Africa, where its joyful energy fills dance floors. Its fashion-forward video and Nhlanhla’s striking style also influenced African fashion trends at the time.
What it showed
“Khona” showed how a veteran group could reinvent itself by working with younger producers. It also marked a period when South African house and pop began connecting more strongly with the rest of Africa, years before amapiano took that connection even further.
Colours of Africa
Mafikizolo built on the success with more pan-African work. In 2015 they released “Colours of Africa” with the Nigerian stars Davido and May D, a song that celebrated the continent’s variety and brought their sound to a larger West African audience.
The group had lost a member and gone silent for years. One song brought them back to the top of South African music.
