
Thandiswa Mazwai is a bit of an archeologist. Yes, she entertains, but she also excavates, digging as she decorates our aural universe, and treating sound as history with a pulse.
At the very end of 2025, the South African Music Awards caught up with this reality.
Sankofa won four SAMAs, including Best Female Artist and Best Produced Album, quite a sweep, as Mazwai herself acknowledges.
But she resists the language of triumph and self satisfaction.
“Awards feel like a spotlight on the…




