Singing gogo leads the Queens to Paris

She has met Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder - but exactly when that was, Hilda Tloubatla is hard-pressed to recall.

Hardly surprising, when you consider the 73-year-old has performed in hundreds of venues around the world, including Paris, New Orleans, Munich, Glasgow and New York.

And Tloubatla, the only original member of theworld-renowned Mahotella Queens still with the group, has been at it for 50 years.

On Thursday the grandmother of four is packing her bags again, for a series of performances in Paris as part of a UN event to honour Nelson Mandela.

She is going with Nobesuthu Mbadu, 69, who joined the group in the '70s, and a new recruit, 29-year-old Amanda Nkosi, who joined the abogogo, the grannies, last year.

Most people her age want to settle down , but Tloubatla has been having the time of her life.

"So much has happened since I started with the group in my 20s. We've seen the world, met amazing people and it's all through God's grace," she said.

The maskandi group's former lead singer, Simon Nkabinde - better known as Mahlatini - died in July 1999. Another original member, Mildred Mangxola, retired after a health scare ahead of a scheduled performance in London last year.

In 1964, while Tloubatla's parents thought she was at college in Hammanskraal north of Pretoria, she was making her way to Johannesburg in search of the bright lights .

At the time, most black acts were male and record company Gallo was looking for a female band. Tloubatla auditioned and landed her dream job.

Of those early years, she said: "I couldn't tell my parents. My father was so strict he wanted nothing to do with music."

But a month after landing her spot as a Mahotella Queen, she was busted. "I appeared in Drum magazine and my mother's colleague showed my family the article," said Tloubatla.

Over the years the Queens have traded seats in the back of a red panel van for the luxury of limousines.

Their first overseas performance was in Paris. The show was a hit and invitations started pouring in.

The three group members received the Miriam Makeba achievement award at the Mbokodo Awards in Midrand this week, an event that honours women in the arts.

SA's arty women honoured

The Mbokodo awards on Friday were a celebration of the achievements of women in the arts .

The 20 categories were judged by sculptor Pitika Ntuli, art critic Antoinette Ntuli and media personality Shado Twala.

Poet Antjie Krog was honoured for promoting language and storytelling. An award for fashion design and innovation went to Palesa Mokubung.

Actress Florence Masebe won for women in film; comedian and Isibaya actress Celest Ntuli won in the comedy category. Mafikizolo's Nhlanhla Nciza won for women in music.

Other awards went to Sibongile Mngoma (opera) and Lindiwe Maxolo (jazz).