Entertainment Archives

SOUTH AFRICA’S THEATRE ELITE CELEBRATE EXCELLENCE: Naledi Awards 2026 nominations announced

9Mar

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Entertainment

SOUTH AFRICA’S THEATRE ELITE CELEBRATE EXCELLENCE: Naledi Awards 2026 nominations announced

By Sitha Maliwa: Naledi Theatre Awards 2026 Nominations Ignite South Africa’s Stage The curtain has risen on one of the most anticipated moments in South Africa’s performing arts calendar as the Naledi Theatre Awards unveiled the nominations for productions staged during 2025. With an extraordinary range of performances spanning children’s theatre, fringe productions, musicals, dance and powerful stage dramas, the nominations reflect a theatre industry bursting with creativity, courage and world-class talent. More than 100 productions were watched and evaluated before judges finally reached their decisions — a process described as both exhilarating and gruelling. The result is a dazzling list of nominees that captures the full spectrum of South African theatre:...

JAZZ IGNITES JOHANNESBURG: Standard Bank Joy of Jazz 2026 returns in spectacular fashion

8Mar

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Entertainment

JAZZ IGNITES JOHANNESBURG: Standard Bank Joy of Jazz 2026 returns in spectacular fashion

Sitha Maliwa: The stage is set. The lights will blaze. The air will thrum with the power of a continent’s heartbeat. The Standard Bank Joy of Jazz festival storms back to the Sandton Convention Centre on Friday, 25 September and Saturday, 26 September 2026, promising a two-night spectacle that will shake Johannesburg- and Africa - to its core. For 27 unstoppable years, this festival has been Africa’s ultimate jazz pilgrimage, drawing thousands from near and far to witness the magic of sound, rhythm, and soul. Curated by the visionary T-Musicman, the festival fuses classic jazz brilliance with daring, avant-garde innovation, proving that jazz is alive, electric, and unapologetically bold. Across four stages, the experience is nothing short of...

Building Africa’s Narrative: The Remarkable Journey of Joshua Oludare Olusan as a Media All-rounder, Author and Jack-of-All-Trade

7Mar

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Entertainment

Building Africa’s Narrative: The Remarkable Journey of Joshua Oludare Olusan as a Media All-rounder, Author and Jack-of-All-Trade

By Rorisang Rampheteng: Joshua Oledare Olusan Africa’s story is often told through the lens of struggle, resilience, and reinvention. Yet within this vast narrative are individuals whose lives embody the continent’s determination to define its own voice. Joshua Oludare Olusan is one such figure — a media professional, cultural advocate, and founder of The African Portal, whose journey reflects both personal perseverance and a commitment to building Africa’s narrative on the global stage. Joshua Oludare Olusan was born in Ibadan, Nigeria, and comes from Ogun State in the town of Ijebu–Igbo. He is the first son in a family of six children. Olusan grew up in a Christian home where his father served as a pastor. Because of this, the church played an important role in hi...

WALKING THE TIGHTROPE: Tuks Senganga’s Balance EP is a cry for accountability

7Mar

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Entertainment

WALKING THE TIGHTROPE: Tuks Senganga’s Balance EP is a cry for accountability

By Sitha Maliwa: There are moments in music when an artist stops entertaining and starts confronting. With Balance EP, Tuks Senganga does exactly that - stepping into the shadows of South Africa’s social realities and forcing listeners to look. Released through Motswako Culture, the three-track project is a raw, unsettling meditation on the fragile line between survival and self-destruction. It is not polished escapism. It is a mirror. Rooted in the streets and lived experiences of Mahikeng, Balance unfolds like a confession and a warning at the same time. The title track leads the charge, exposing how substance abuse seeps into the veins of communities, igniting violence, tearing apart families and feeding cycles of crime. Senganga does not preach. Inste...

THE MAN WHO CONJURES WORLDS: The dramatic journey of Bheki Mkhwane

7Mar

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Entertainment

THE MAN WHO CONJURES WORLDS: The dramatic journey of Bheki Mkhwane

By Sitha Maliwa: Long before television lights, awards and international tours, there was a boy walking through the streets of KwaMashu - replaying a theatre performance in the darkness, mimicking the dances and songs he had just witnessed. That boy would grow up to become one of South Africa’s most extraordinary storytellers. For more than four decades, Bheki Mkhwane has stood on stages across the country and around the world, summoning entire universes out of nothing but movement, sound and imagination. Actor, mime artist, clown, playwright, director, composer and mentor, Mkhwane belongs to a rare breed of theatre makers whose craft transforms empty space into living worlds. His journey begins in the township of KwaMashu, north of Durban, where h...

SPILL THE TEA: Who is “V”? Vaseline just stole our hearts!

27Feb

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Entertainment

SPILL THE TEA: Who is “V”? Vaseline just stole our hearts!

By Zee: Linda Mthoba during the event (Image: supplied) Oh, honey, grab your teacup - Johannesburg just got served! Move over, Lady Whistledown - our city’s own mystery V had everyone gagging. For a week, TikTok and Instagram were full of guesses: cryptic bouquets, handwritten notes, perfectly curated gifts… the suspense was real! And then… the big reveal: Vaseline. Yep, the skincare brand that’s been quietly softening our hearts and our elbows. Plot twist: this wasn’t about chasing a Valentine - it was about loving ourselves, glowing up, and celebrating our squad. 🥂 The soft glow affair The event at Shepstone Gardens on February 26th was pure aesthetic goals. Picture Bridgerton elegance meets modern luxury. And let me spil...

METRO FM AWARDS 2026: New stars rise, giants hold their ground

27Feb

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Entertainment

METRO FM AWARDS 2026: New stars rise, giants hold their ground

Sitha Maliwa: The atmosphere was electric, the stakes unmistakably high, and the message clear: South African music is not just thriving - it is roaring into a new era. At a glittering nominees announcement held at The Forum in Hyde Park on Thursday night, METRO FM unveiled the nominees for the 2026 METRO FM Music Awards, igniting anticipation for what promises to be one of the most fiercely contested ceremonies in recent memory. Leading the charge are the unstoppable duo Jazzwrld and Thukuthela, who emerged as the undisputed frontrunners with an astonishing seven nominations each. Their dominance signals a seismic shift in the industry, as the pair’s sonic innovation and chart-topping collaborations continue to redefine the sound of contemporary South A...

AFRICA’S YOUTH CULTURE GETS A GLOBAL STAGE: Base Pulse ignites a revolution

25Feb

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Entertainment

AFRICA’S YOUTH CULTURE GETS A GLOBAL STAGE: Base Pulse ignites a revolution

Sitha Maliwa: The airwaves across Africa are about to get louder, bolder, and unapologetically youthful. A new era of entertainment is coming with the launch of BASE Pulse on DStv Channel 322, a platform promising to transform how the continent’s youth engage with music, culture, and storytelling. Every generation carries its own rhythm – the heartbeat of a people, a soundscape stitched into its DNA. For Africa’s young creatives, that rhythm is more than music; it’s fashion, it’s art, it’s digital storytelling, it’s the movement that flows from the kasi corners to global stages. BASE Pulse is poised to capture that pulse and broadcast it to the world. Unlike any conventional music channel, BASE Pulse is a 360° cultural ecosystem. It merges music with ...

FROM KWAITO TO JAZZ: Thandiswa Mazwai celebrates 50 years on stage

13Feb

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Entertainment

FROM KWAITO TO JAZZ: Thandiswa Mazwai celebrates 50 years on stage

By Sitha Maliwa: On 28 February 2026, the Big Top Arena at Carnival City will transform into a vibrant tapestry of African sound, rhythm, and heritage as Thandiswa Mazwai celebrates her 50th birthday with the inaugural Sankofa Heritage Festival. This is not just a concert - it is a three-decade musical journey, a celebration of culture, and the birth of a new annual platform dedicated to indigenous African music. Mazwai, a voice that has defined South African music for over thirty years, will share the stage with artists who have shaped her story and the sound of a nation. Thandi Ntuli, the award-winning pianist and composer, will infuse the evening with her seamless blend of jazz and African spiritual traditions. Legendary guitarist and cultural custodi...

THE KINGS OF R&B RETURN: Boyz II Men set to ignite South African stages this May

12Feb

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Entertainment

THE KINGS OF R&B RETURN: Boyz II Men set to ignite South African stages this May

By Sitha Maliwa: South Africa, prepare yourselves. The velvet harmonies. The slow-burning ballads. The songs that defined love for an entire generation. This May 2026, global R&B royalty Boyz II Men return to South Africa for a tour that promises nostalgia, romance, and pure vocal brilliance. In what is set to be one of the most anticipated live music events of the year, the award-winning trio will take over the Grand Arena at GrandWest in Cape Town on 27 May 2026, before heading to Pretoria’s SunBet Arena at Times Square for two unforgettable nights on 29 and 30 May 2026. For more than three decades, Boyz II Men have been the soundtrack to first dances, heartbreaks, weddings, and whispered promises. Formed in Philadelphia in 1988, the group didn’t just ent...