Zola 7 honoured at the Strictly Kwaito Legends festival

Nokuthula Zwane

Strictly Kwaito Legends organisers have revealed that honouring musician Zola 7 could potentially be a nationwide tour.

The success of the inaugural festival, which kicked off in Carolina, Mpumalanga on 2 April, saw various artists such as Mapaputsi, Mzambiya, Trompies and Alaska giving their nostalgic performances to a crowd of over 5000 people.

Zola 7, whose real name is Bonginkosi Dlamini, was the first Kwaito legend recognised by the festival organisers to be honoured as one of the great musicians who shaped Kwaito music in the country.

Speaking to Channel24, Dlamini said he was incredibly humbled by the recognition.

“It is absolutely humbling, and we have decided to go into all nine provinces… it’s overwhelming and humbling, and I wish they do this for other artists as well.

“Unfortunately, others are gone. I mean, I was with Mandoza’s wife, and Mandoza is no more. If this happens while you are still alive, it is truly humbling. Most things get done when people are gone. It’s quite humbling that this is happening when I’m only 45-years-old,” said Dlamini.

The 45-year-old was honoured with a replica statue made by Lungelo Gumede and three paintings by social media sensational artist Rasta.

The Lwandle singer recently made social media trends after it was revealed that he had epilepsy.

Last month, Twitter rallied together to show love to the kwaito legend by raising funds for him. The amount of money has not been revealed.

Brought to tears, Dlamini expressed that he missed all his fallen friends, namely Mandoza, HHP, Brown Dash and Prokid.

Shying away from the spotlight, Dlamini highlighted that the joy of the festival happened when he was able to honour the elderly in the small town of Carolina with small gestures of lunch and spa treatments.

“We had a whole lot of pensioners here at this venue. Just for them to come and relax. These are people who fought for us and have not been given the recognition that they deserve,” said Dlamini.

The Strictly Kwaito Legends project was launched in 2015 to preserve the original sound of kwaito music and as an economic development project.

“We can’t confirm for sure if the nationwide tour would be just about Zola because we are still looking for funding. But it is in the pipeline,” said event spokesperson Maphuti Perez.

According to Perez, its purpose has always been to strengthen the South African creative economy through local distribution channels, specifically the kwaito sector.

“The project kicked off with the recording of the Strictly Kwaito Legends album in 2015 and after the Strictly Kwaito Legends Tour followed that in 2016,” said Perez in a statement.

Kwaito stars who were featured on the project include the late Mshoza and Mandoza.