TKZee’s legacy lives on through South Africa’s evolving sound, from Kwaito to Amapiano. This October, fans will get to relive that legacy live, as TKZee returns.
If you grew up in South Africa in the early 2000s, you know TKZee. Their sound was everywhere: blasting from taxis, thumping at house parties, and echoing through schoolyards. TKZee (made up of Kabelo Mabalane, Zwai Bala, and the late Tokollo “Magesh” Tshabalala) were making hits and defining what it meant to be young, cool, and proudly South African.
For many of us at the time, Kwaito was ‘t just something we listened too, it was our identity. It spoke our slang, dressed like us, and carried our energy. When TKZee dropped tracks like Shibobo, Phalafala, and Mambotjie, it felt like an entire nation was on the dance floor. Their music videos were bold and playful. Mambotjie especially stands out, that eerie, creative visual that both fascinated and spooked us as kids. It was art that stuck with you.
Even though I was a child then, TKZee’s music became the soundtrack to moments I didn’t yet understand but could always feel: freedom, joy, pride. That sound shaped the way my generation experienced rhythm and expression.
Fast forward to now, and you can still hear TKZee’s fingerprints all over Amapiano and contemporary hip-hop. The slow, groovy tempo, the local flavour, the swagger all trace back to Kwaito’s roots. TKZee’s sound built a bridge that today’s artists still cross.
And while the group has evolved, their spirit remains unshaken. The loss of Tokollo was deeply felt across the country, but his legacy lives every time a TKZee beat drops or a new artist samples that golden sound.
This October, fans will get to relive that legacy live, as TKZee returns to the stage for the Sounds of the Cradle Festival on 25 October 2025. It will be a celebration of heritage, rhythm, and how far we’ve come.
TKZee taught us that music could be ours, proudly, loudly, and without apology. And decades later, they’re still proving that legends never fade.
