She has been doing it for 50 years - and she is going to keep on doing it until "amadolo angasavumi" (my knees give in). On Friday night, Mahotella Queens stalwart Hilda Tloubatla, 73, and fellow members Nobesuthu Mbadu and Amanda Nkosi celebrated the group's 50th anniversary with a performance at the Cape Town International Jazz Festival.They shared the stage with musicians Hugh Masekela, Hip Hop Pantsula, Sipho "Hotstix" Mabuse and PJ Powers in front of thousands of jazz lovers.And in the crowd cheering them on was that other well-known singer, President Jacob Zuma, and his wife Thobeka , as well as Arts and Culture Minister Nathi Mthethwa and his wife, Philisiwe.Friday night's performance by the mbaqanga legends was their third highlight in a busy jubilee year. They picked up lifetime achievement honours at the Mbokodo Awards in October and at the MetroFM Awards in February.They have also celebrated by performing at the Sydney Festival in Australia and the Womad Festival in Chile, and collaborating with Hollywood actor and DJ Idris Elba on his 2014 miMandela album.But, said Tloubatla, performing before a home crowd was what they loved - and they wanted to continue doing so until those knees gave in.Tloubatla has been with the group the longest. She was there at the outset - when the vocal trio were put together by Gallo Music talent scout Rupert Bopape in 1964 and before they went on to find fame with the gravel-voiced superstar, the late Simon "Mahlathini" Nkabinde.Another Queens veteran, Mildred Mangxola, retired in 2013 after a health scare during a London tour.Friday night was a bittersweet one, however, because she has lost so many of her colleagues since joining the band at of 22."I love performing in South Africa," Tloubatla said. "This is where we started and as much as we get to perform abroad, nothing feels better than being acknowledged in your own country."It's sad getting all of this and Simon and Mildred and all the other band members we've lost are not with us to be honoured too."There was still so much more she wanted to show the world, she said."I want to go on, I'm not ready to stay at home and do nothing. I want to know that when I finally go, Amanda can carry on with the Queens' name in full spirit."For new recruit Nkosi, 27, the night was something "I could only dream of".She had attended her first press conference as a Queen on Friday afternoon. "I've never seen so many people wanting to speak to abomama [the mothers] like that. For them this is a big deal because they are getting honoured in South Africa, for me it's a big deal because it's my first experience being part of such an honorary event," said Nkosi.Event chair Billy Domingo said: "We have to honour our musicians while they are still alive and this is the best way I could think of."..