This Heritage Month, Western Cape Arts Festivals (WCAF) is putting the question of what South African heritage actually sounds like directly to the public.
The "Beyond Busking Live Finale Concert", presented in partnership with the Ariva Arts Foundation brings together young eight emerging South African artists whose music spans Maskandi, Afro-soul, folk-pop, alternative rock, retro rock and roll and gospel.
Each artist has come through an extended development programme covering songwriting, musicianship, vocal training, performance, music business and professional studio recording.
The result is eight songs that approach heritage from very different starting points. For some, it is closely tied to family and elders. For others, it is found in the music they grew up hearing, the challenges they have experienced or the way they combine traditional influences with newer sounds.
Seven of the artists spoke to “The National” about the personal stories behind their songs, the influences they brought into the project and what the experience taught them about making music in contemporary South Africa.
For Lungie Ngcobo, heritage is closely connected to her grandfather, the late guitarist Shiyani Ngcobo, who introduced her to the instrument and helped shape her relationship with music.
Her song, “Ngeke Olivimbe Ikhono”, speaks about refusing to allow circumstances or opposition to suppress talent. Ngcobo said the message comes directly from her own journey, particularly her experience as a young woman working within Maskandi.
“People can doubt you, and sometimes your circumstances can make you feel like your dreams are too far away but your talent belongs to you, and nobody should be able to stop you from using it,” she said.
Ngcobo sees Maskandi as a living genre instead of one that needs to remain fixed in the past. Her song retains the acoustic guitar style she learnt from her grandfather, as well as the storytelling and use of isiZulu associated with the genre, while addressing the experiences of young people today.
“I don’t want to change Maskandi into something else. I want to add my voice as a young woman and show what Maskandi means to my generation,” Ngcobo added.
That relationship between inherited knowledge and contemporary expression also appears in Zanoxolo Mnamatheli’s song, “Vuka Mama”, written after the death of her grandmother.
Mnamatheli, who performs as Zano Soul, said the loss changed his life and inspired the song’s call for his grandmother to come through, guide him journey and give him light.
He shared that the song blends contemporary arrangements with traditional elements like rhythm, language, and vocal style, using modern production to bring its heritage into the present.
“For me, the important thing is understanding the meaning behind each traditional element. I do not use ancestral sounds as decoration. I treat them as part of the story and identity of the music. This allows the arrangement to feel modern while still respecting the history, people, and traditions from which the music comes,” he said.
Jachin Klassen takes a different route into the same conversation. His song “Sick of Love” draws on the 1950s rock-and-roll sound he grew up hearing through his grandfather’s passion for music.
Klassen said the music was familiar to him from an early age and carried a sense of nostalgia. He uses that retro influence to explore the experience of catching feelings while trying to resist them.
The song’s playful sound reflects what he sees as the universal nature of love, while his upbringing in a culturally diverse South Africa also shaped the way he thinks about music.
“I feel privileged to have grown up in such a culturally rich country,” he said, explaining that exposure to different cultures has influenced his music and helped him understand how familiar feelings can be expressed through different sounds.
For Zanele Mzaca, heritage is less about a particular genre and more about telling the truth of everyday life.
Her song reflects the experience of growing up where struggle can be a constant part of life. Mzaca said she wanted listeners to hear what it means to keep going even when you are tired and feel unseen.
Her own background taught her resilience early, while faith and determination continue to shape how she approaches life and music. She hopes the song will particularly resonate with young women who feel overlooked.
“If my story can give someone strength, then I’ve done my job,” she said.
The “Beyond Busking” process also changed how she approached that story.
Writing from emotion and lived experience was familiar, but working alongside artists from different genres exposed her to new ways of communicating the same feelings.
“I’ve learned to be more intentional with melody, to let space breathe, to try rhythms I wouldn’t have tried before. It didn’t change what I sing about, the struggle is still at the centre, but it refined how I deliver it,” she said.
Lithethaa Tikaba, who performs as Lithethaa iLanga, approaches heritage through the meeting point of tradition and faith.
Her song calls on “uQamata” (the creator) and “Bawo” (the father) while describing the thorns and darkness she has encountered while pursuing success. It eventually turns towards light, with the repeated image of the sun shining on her too.
Tikaba described the song as a movement from pain towards hope. Its message is also directed towards fellow South Africans, encouraging them to hold on through difficult periods and believe that better days are possible.
For Tikaba, one of the most valuable parts of the "Beyond Busking" programme was learning about the business side of music. She said understanding that side of the industry is important for artists and can contribute to creating healthier careers.
The programme has also prompted Robyn-Beth Cloete, known as Bethe, to think about where South African music is heading.
Growing up in Johannesburg while Amapiano was developing, Bethe was exposed to a changing musical landscape that included deep house, gqom and kwaito alongside newer pop and hip-hop sounds.
She said she wanted her music to feel contemporary while still carrying something recognisably South African.
Her song underwent a significant change during the project, moving away from its original rock direction towards what she describes as “Afro-Alt.”
“The genre may not really exist, but I don’t care. I’ll make it exist,” she said.
Working with the other "Beyond Busking" artists also influenced the final sound, helping her see the song as a fuller piece of work instead of something created in isolation.
Family is at the centre of Ayabonga Lubengu’s contribution. Performing as Ayabonga The Vocalist, he uses acoustic Afro-soul on “Mama noBaba”, a song that honours parents and the values passed down through generations.
Lubengu said respect for elders remains an important foundation in many South African homes. His use of isiXhosa alongside contemporary acoustic sounds allows those values to remain part of a musical language that young listeners can engage with.
The project also changed the way he approached the recording itself. He learnt to remove unnecessary instrumentation and trust his voice, allowing the acoustic guitar and message of gratitude to carry more of the song.
The eight artists were developed through the programme before recording their original songs professionally, including music videos. Thirty-second excerpts of the final masters have now been released online, allowing the public to hear the different approaches and vote for the artist or song that connects with them.
WCAF chief executive Yusuf Ganief said the range of sounds was central to the project’s understanding of heritage.
“Heritage is not static. It lives in the languages we speak, the stories our parents and grandparents gave us, the music we inherited and the new influences each generation makes its own. These eight artists could hardly sound more different from one another - and that is precisely what makes them such a powerful reflection of South Africa. Our diversity has become part of our heritage.”
The finale concert takes place during Heritage Month, bringing the eight artists together after a process that has asked each of them to consider where their music comes from and what they want to add to the country’s evolving musical landscape.
nomathamsanqa.sithathu@nationalmg.co.za