Zakes Bantwini challenges Durban mayor to increase budget for artists

Grammy award winning artist Zakhele “Zakes Bantwini” Madida has challenged eThekwini mayor Mxolisi Kaunda to ensure that the city invests more in arts and culture to prevent its talent from migrating to other cities.  

Zakes Bantwini was speaking during his welcoming ceremony at the King Shaka International Airport on Thursday. The ceremony was to celebrate the KwaMashu-born artist winning the best global music performance award at the 2023 Grammy awards for his song Bayethe featuring another KZN native, Nomcebo Zikode, and Wouter Kellerman.

“This is a well-worn journey in KwaZulu-Natal: from Ladysmith Black Mambazo and Nathi “DJ Black Coffee” Maphumulo to me and Nomcebo Zikode now. So even though I was just doing my job I’m very grateful for this welcome,” he said.

While acknowledging that the city is one of the few that used to invest in its entertainment industry, he stressed the need to make sure that it loosens its budget again to retain its creatives.

“We should be proud of our creatives as eThekwini, not because of me but to ensure that our creatives don’t migrate from Durban. Your colleagues should understand that every city must have its selling point: Durban is the only city with creatives that are this vibrant.”

The emergence of recording companies like Afrotainment, Mayoni productions and Touch Africa, according to Madida, shows that they are playing their part to ensure that artists do not see the need to move to Gauteng to make a living in the industry.

He said that has opened doors for other creative like music publishers, dancers, song writers and even journalists who mainly report on entertainment in the city, and ensured they remain in the city.

“We fought against the need for artist to have to leave to Gauteng to record music. Big NUZ had to come back home for greener pastures,” he said.

“I would like to plead with you to increase the budget for arts and culture. We have showed you, without getting anything, that we can market this city wherever we are. There are people who are paid good money for that but we do it.”

Zakes Bantwini revealed plans to have a celebration concert for his Grammy award win in Durban that he would headline with Nomcebo Zikode and have a majority of KZN artist, including previous Grammy winners.

He invited the city to support the initiative but assured the crowd that it would happen regardless.

“Because we have been frustrated for so long we have reached a point where we’re saying we will do this with or without you. We would love to do it in a stadium so that everyone can see that eThekwini is a vibrant city,” he said.

He said it hurt him to see tourists choosing destinations other than Durban during the festive season because it was affecting businesses and event organisers. He urged the city to support local events to ensure that tourists want to attend them.

“That’s the reason people choose destinations like Cape Town — they know they will meet all their favourite artists there. One of the reasons for that is that the co-operation between business, the entertainment industry and government is not there,” he said. “We’re taking this opportunity to address these issues with you, Mr Mayor, because we don’t usually get to do it.”

Kaunda said the city had always invested in its artists but had to readjust its budget after the Covid-19 pandemic, the 2021 unrest and the April floods.

“We used to allocate R48m  for the creative industry and supported events in the city (but) we reduced that to R16m.  It definitely had a negative affect for most artists who used to benefit from that allocation,” he said. “So we’re working together with them. We had a meeting, I addressed them and they raised their concerns with my staff from eThekwini municipality. We noted all their concerns and we’re ready to respond to them.”

Amid all the celebrations though, Zakes Bantwini said it was a bittersweet moment owing to the recent murder of fellow artist Kiernan “AKA” Forbes and Tebello “Tibz” Motsoane in the city.

They were gunned down outside a restaurant on the popular Florida Road. 

He also announced that he was doing his last music album before retiring as an artist and focusing on his businesses.

“I have fulfilled all my music contracts: I have fulfilled my publishing and after this album I will have fulfilled my recording contract,” he said.

“I think I have done it all in music, now I want my company that I co-own with my manager Sibonga (Mhlungu), an agency that represents creatives and sportsmen, to be known globally. My thoughts and wishes in life now are to do something else because I’ve played my part in music.

“That’s the reason I went to study at Harvard University, to learn how our agency can grow globally. We want to people who think about UTA and Roc Nation to also think of our agency because that’s where we see ourselves. Not just in Africa.”

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