{"id":1021,"date":"2026-09-15T19:25:33","date_gmt":"2026-09-15T19:25:33","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/?p=1021"},"modified":"2026-09-15T19:25:33","modified_gmt":"2026-09-15T19:25:33","slug":"zakes-bantwini-and-zolani-mahola-release-an-anthem-for-the-people-of-south-africa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/?p=1021","title":{"rendered":"ZAKES BANTWINI AND ZOLANI MAHOLA RELEASE AN ANTHEM FOR THE PEOPLE OF SOUTH AFRICA"},"content":{"rendered":"
Music plays an integral role in our diverse cultures; it\u2019s part of our heritage.\u00a0 Our history is marked with struggle songs, songs of celebration or elation, sorrow and joy. Sung storytelling, protest or gospel, it\u2019s in our DNA. \u201cBut it is in the township where music really lives.\u201d<\/div>\n
\n

So says Zakes Bantwini, award-winning musician and songwriter, on the making of Where You Are, an anthem curated to bring people together in culture and communities across South Africa.<\/p>\n

Two world class artistic powerhouses, Zakes Bantwini and Zolani Mahola have joined creative forces to craft an original song that celebrates collaboration, hope and community. But more than that, it offers our country\u2019s people a melody of belonging, a way to say; \u2018we see you, and we meet you where you are.\u2019<\/p>\n

A fusion of Afro House, Dance, Afro Tech and Folk, Where You Are combines the rhythmic and soulful sounds of Zakes and Zolani, weaving in moments of saxophone, brass instruments and African percussion, as is the music of rural Mzansi.<\/p>\n

Spanning across five of our national languages, the track also seeks to uplift. \u201cAs South Africans, we are often overlooked and undervalued, yet we can be unstoppable,\u201d says Zakes. \u201cWe wanted to create something that was made for all of us, in a way that resonates individually.\u201d The bridge intentionally speaks to a nostalgic nursery rhyme saying \u201cRight in your corner, where you are\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n

\n

Busuku nemini (Day and night)<\/p>\n

Nanini nanini (Wherever, whenever)<\/p>\n

Komkhulu nomncinci (Old and young)<\/p>\n

Just wanna be where you are<\/p>\n

\n

Symbolic and powerful in their own right, Zakes and Zolani are no strangers to authentic collaborations. Zolani co-wrote and performed alongside Shakira in the 2010 Soccer World Cup anthem of Waka Waka, and Zakes\u2019 Grammy win with Nomcebo Zikode and Walter Kellerman for Bayethe gave recognition to truly African music on a global scale.<\/p>\n

\n

As with any piece of great artistry, seldom does it happen in isolation. The inspiration for Where You Are stemmed from an idea between creative agency, Grid Worldwide, and fintech, Lesaka Technologies, whose brand values are all about being a human-first company, and being in-step with customers, merchants and communities, meeting them where they are.<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cThe idea of Where You Are gave Zakes and me a reason to create something bigger than a song,\u201d says Zolani. \u201cIt became an anthem about belonging, about recognising one another, celebrating what we can create together, and reminding South Africans that wherever you are, you have a place in this country and in its story.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Music plays an integral role in our diverse cultures; it\u2019s part of our heritage.\u00a0 Our<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":1022,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1021","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-entertainment"],"yoast_head":"\nZAKES BANTWINI AND ZOLANI MAHOLA RELEASE AN ANTHEM FOR THE PEOPLE OF SOUTH AFRICA - Stokvel Talk<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/?p=1021\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"ZAKES BANTWINI AND ZOLANI MAHOLA RELEASE AN ANTHEM FOR THE PEOPLE OF SOUTH AFRICA - Stokvel Talk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Music plays an integral role in our diverse cultures; it\u2019s part of our heritage.\u00a0 Our\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/?p=1021\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Stokvel Talk\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-09-15T19:25:33+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/stokveltalk.co.za\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/image-36.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"750\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"750\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"admin\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/?p=1021#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/?p=1021\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"admin\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/8cab1ed537bfb6dd99c4d3e0d0c10c26\"},\"headline\":\"ZAKES BANTWINI AND ZOLANI MAHOLA RELEASE AN ANTHEM FOR THE PEOPLE OF SOUTH AFRICA\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-09-15T19:25:33+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/?p=1021\"},\"wordCount\":434,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/#organization\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/?p=1021#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/09\\\/image-36.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Entertainment\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/?p=1021#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/?p=1021\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/stokveltalk.co.za\\\/?p=1021\",\"name\":\"ZAKES BANTWINI AND ZOLANI MAHOLA RELEASE AN ANTHEM FOR THE PEOPLE OF SOUTH AFRICA - 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