Music has always been more than entertainment in South Africa.
It carries our history, gives voice to our emotions and connects generations. From struggle songs and protest music to gospel, celebration and sorrow, music has long been woven into the country’s cultural fabric.
Now, two of South Africa’s celebrated musical voices are adding a new chapter to that story.
Award-winning musician and songwriter Zakes Bantwini has joined creative forces with Zolani Mahola to release Where You Are, an original song created around collaboration, hope, culture and community.
The collaboration brings together two distinctive artistic voices for a song that aims to create a sense of belonging — a musical message that says, in essence, we see you, and we meet you where you are.
A sound rooted in Mzansi
Where You Are draws from a rich blend of Afro House, Dance, Afro Tech and Folk.
The production combines the rhythmic and soulful qualities associated with both artists, while incorporating saxophone, brass instruments and African percussion.
The result is a musical fusion inspired by the sounds of rural Mzansi, while maintaining a contemporary energy.
For Bantwini, the connection between music, culture and community was central to the song’s creation.
“Music plays an integral part in our diverse cultures; it’s part of our heritage,” he says, highlighting the important role music continues to play in South African life.
He also points to the township as a place where music remains deeply alive and connected to everyday culture.
A song that speaks across languages
One of the defining elements of Where You Are is its use of five of South Africa’s national languages, reinforcing the song’s focus on connection and inclusivity.
Its message is one of upliftment and possibility.
“As South Africans we are often overlooked and undervalued, yet we can be unstoppable,” says Bantwini. “We wanted to create something that was made for all of us, in a way that resonates individually.”
That idea comes through particularly strongly in the song’s bridge, which deliberately draws on the nostalgia of a nursery rhyme:
Busuku nemini — Day and night
Nanini nanini — Wherever, whenever
Komkhulu nomncinci — Old and young
Just wanna be where you are
It is a simple sentiment, but one that sits at the heart of the collaboration: wherever someone may be, they are part of the larger South African story.
Two artists, one powerful collaboration
Both Bantwini and Mahola bring significant collaborative and international experience to the project.
Mahola co-wrote and performed alongside Shakira on the 2010 FIFA World Cup anthem Waka Waka, while Bantwini received global recognition through his Grammy win with Nomcebo Zikode and Walter Kellerman for Bayethe.
Their partnership on Where You Are therefore brings together two artists with established connections to music that reaches beyond South Africa.
For Mahola, the project became something bigger than simply recording another song.
“The idea of Where You Are gave Zakes and me a reason to create something bigger than a song,” she says. “It became an anthem about belonging.”
She describes the song as being about recognising one another, celebrating what can be created together and reminding South Africans that, wherever they are, they have a place in the country and its story.
From an idea to an anthem
The inspiration for Where You Are originated from an idea between creative agency Grid Worldwide and fintech company Lesaka Technologies.
Lesaka’s brand values centre on being a human-first company and staying in step with customers, merchants and communities — meeting people where they are.
Those principles became part of the foundation behind the musical collaboration.
The result is Where You Are: a song shaped around culture, community and the idea that music can create a shared space for people to recognise themselves and one another.
In a country where music has long carried stories of struggle, celebration, identity and hope, Bantwini and Mahola’s latest collaboration taps into that enduring tradition while bringing their own contemporary sound to it.
Where You Are is now streaming on major platforms, including Apple Music, Spotify, YouTube Music, Deezer, Tidal and Amazon Music.
