GAZETTE REPORTER
The queen of Limpopo dance Makhadzi and South African (SA) musician and record producer Master KG will headline a star-studded affair when Thamaga hosts its biggest-ever music festival on 30 September 2022.
Not so long ago Makhadzi hosted her successful one-woman show in Tlokweng, proving herself a sought-after entertainer and crowd-puller. The Limpopo-born musician is fresh from winning two well-deserved awards at the 2022 installation of the DStv Mzansi Viewers’ Choice Awards (DStvMVCA) which took place at the Sun Arena in Pretoria last Saturday.
Called Kumnandi eKhaya Music, the festival is the mastermind of Botswana’s international DJ and Uthando hit maker, DJ Ngwazi, whose idea it is to mark his presence in the village where he grew up with a bang on the occasion of Botswana’s 56th independence anniversary.
DJ Ngwazi is based in SA where he currently works as stage DJ for musical genius, Master KG of the 2020 Jerusalema hit fame that gained him a massive international following. Views of Kgaogelo “Master KG” Moagi’s Jerusalema recently hit the record-breaking 500 million mark on YouTube, making it one of the most-watched music videos to be released in South Africa.
Other international acts on the line up are Ngwago hit maker Prince Benza, Mthunzi, Prince Belo, Mapara A Jazz and Lowsheen Da Producer, to name but a few. The release of the international lineup comes a week after the organisers of the event released a hot lineup of local artists that includes Franco & Afro Musica, Vee Mampeezy, Amantle Brown, and Dr Vom.
The event – for which the venue is yet to be announced – also boasts a list of deejays like Chrispin The Drummer, DJ Sly, Ancestral Rituals, DJ Crespo and DJ Gouveia. It has an impressive lineup of emcees who will bring a high level of professionalism to the event. Popular SA actress Nokuthula “Nocxy” Mabika, who played the role of Thobile in the popular soapie Uzalo, has been announced as one of the emcees and will join a formidable lineup of local emcees that includes Hey Nyeenaah, T.H.A.B.O and Joey Babudi.
According to the organisers, this is a one-of-a-kind festival by which DJ Ngwazi aims to pay homage to the village where he grew up and started to pursue his dreams. This is what they say in a statement: “Growing up in Thamaga, the village deeply influenced his life. His story is one that can be retold so many times but he has the village to credit for his success on the music scene today. During the early years of his career, DJ Ngwazi was just an unknown DJ performing at Kings Bar in Thamaga. Because of that, he was unable to release a solo album.”
“Kumnandi Ekhaya is Zulu expression meaning ‘It is nice at home,’ and unlike the biblical prodigal son, DJ Ngwazi is a proud man who returns to his childhood sweetheart, which is Thamaga, in order to convey his fond relationship with the village. He left Thamaga for South Africa to pursue his musical dreams, and with this festival he is capturing his relationship with the place that built him into the great artist he is today.”