In 2000, a song with a deep, growling voice and a pounding beat began playing on South African radio. Within months it was everywhere: in township taverns, suburban clubs, school discos and even at rugby matches. The song was Nkalakatha, and the artist was Mandoza, a kwaito star from Zola in Soweto. It was one of the first kwaito songs to win over white South African audiences in large numbers, at a time when the country was still learning to share its culture across colour lines.
Kwaito, Mandoza and Nkalakatha
Kwaito is a South African genre that emerged in the 1990s, built on slowed-down house beats, chanted vocals and township slang. Mandoza was the stage name of Mduduzi Tshabalala. He grew up in Zola, Soweto. He first became known as a member of the kwaito group Chiskop. Nkalakatha, released in 2000, became his signature song. The title refers to a big boss or heavyweight.
The song combined a heavy beat with Mandoza’s gravelly voice and a rock-influenced energy. The song was a hit with audiences of all races, which was rare for kwaito at the time. Nkalakatha won awards at the South African Music Awards.
Later career, death and legacy
Mandoza released more albums and remained popular. In 2016, he was diagnosed with cancer. Mandoza died in September 2016, aged 38. Musicians and fans across South Africa paid tribute to him. Nkalakatha remains one of the most recognisable South African songs of the early 2000s. Kwaito helped shape South African youth culture after apartheid, and Mandoza was one of its biggest names.
Zola, where Mandoza grew up, is one of the poorer parts of Soweto. He spoke openly about a difficult youth there, and his music carried the confidence of someone who had made it out without losing touch with home. Fans in the township treated his success as their own.
Radio, television and the video
Nkalakatha was played on stations aimed at very different audiences, from township youth stations to mainstream pop radio, which helped it reach every corner of the country. The music video showed Mandoza’s powerful presence and became a regular on South African music television. Nkalakatha was a kwaito song from Soweto that ended up being played at rugby matches. In 2000, very little else in South African culture crossed that line.
