Ladysmith Black Mambazo grooms future stars

It's been a long time coming, but Grammy-award winners Ladysmith Black Mambazo have finally got the acts together that will join them on an overseas tour in October.

The band travelled around SA in search of potential groups to groom for international status, and to fulfil the dream of the band's founder.

The development programme, according to member Sibongiseni Shabalala, was one of the late Joseph Shabalala’s many wishes: he wanted to open doors for other local groups to navigate the international arena just like they have done for 58 years now.

“My father’s dream, when he founded Mambazo, was to develop people and also take traditional music and South African culture abroad, the music that we are singing. That first part has been realised, as the group has won three Grammy awards, while showcasing South Africa's tradition internationally. 

“My father's other dream was to develop musicians through a music school and that is what we are doing now through the Ladysmith Black Mambazo Mobile Academy programme. We have selected nine groups that we are busy recording and developing to be the next best international acts that can also win Grammys,” said Shabalala. 

The groups were discovered during Ladysmith Black Mambazo’s national competition tour in 2018.

Two of these, The Good Fellas from Rustenburg, North West, and Meduduwetsane Basadi (which means ululating) from Kimberley, Northern Cape, will be travelling with Ladysmith Black Mambazo to the UK in October. 

Before this trip the groups will perform with Ladysmith Black Mambazo at The Joburg Theatre on Mandela Day to pay tribute to late statesman Nelson Mandela. 

“When we first met utat’Madiba in 1993, when we were invited to his birthday that was staged at the Carlton Centre, it was the beginning of a very close relationship with the late president where he shared with us how our music encouraged them and gave them hope while they were incarcerated at Robben Island.

“Those words were among many that have encouraged us as a group to continue encouraging the world through our music,” said Shabalala, who also recalled performing at Madiba’s Nobel peace prize acceptance ceremony in Norway. 

Pulane Jantjies, founder of the five-member women group Meduduwetsane Basadi, said getting the opportunity to travel overseas was a dream come true as many of them had never left Mzansi.

“When I founded the group [six years ago], it was because I wanted to give women a chance in this male-dominated industry... In Kimberley, women are not always given a platform to express themselves. 

“The work that we have been doing on the ground, I never thought we could reach such levels,” she said.

Tshepo Matela from The Good Fellas said: “When we started, we wanted to create a band that travels as much as they do and encourages people with their music, like they do.

“Our name, Good Fellas, speaks to the good that we want to achieve within our community.”

Matela said drugs and alcohol had infiltrated Rustenburg and that they sought to bring hope through their music. 

“We are learning from Mambazo and we will come back and give back like they have given back to us."