Since 2004, Zakes Bantwini has been active in the music industry as a music singer, record producer, and businessman. He is a well-known music artist in South Africa. Let’s read his full biography and net worth below.

Wikipedia Profile & Background

Real Name:	Zakhele Madida
Date of Birth:	May 26, 1980
Age:	42 years old @ 2022
State of Origin:	KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa
Place of Birth:	KwaMashu, KwaZulu-Natal
Nationality:	South African
Wife:	Nandi Madida ((m. 2016))
Children:	5 Kids
Occupation:	Singer – Music Producer – Entrepreneur
Net Worth:	< $1 million
Record Label:	Mayonie Productions – Sony Music Africa – Soulistic Music – Universal Music Group
Education:	Durban University of Technology
Parents:	Jeffrey Khanyile (father) Nomthandazo Madida (mother)

Zakes Bantwini Biography

Zakhele Madida is a South African singer from, KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. Zakhele Bantwini was born and brought up in the KwaMashu F-section community located in the KwaZulu-Natal province. He gave birth to his first child when he was only 14 years old.

Later, he attended Nqabakazulu High School. He finished his matric despite being a teenage parent. Zakes Bantwini studied jazz and music at the University of KwaZulu-Natal in Durban. He studied social entrepreneurship at Pretoria’s Gordon Institute of Business Science.

After matriculating, he attended Natal Technikon (now Durban University of Technology), where he got a national certificate in Light Music and started his own record label, Mayonie Productions.

Who Is Zakes Bantwini

He is a South African singer, record producer, and businessman, Zakhele Madida, also known professionally as Zakes Bantwini, he was born on May 26, 1980. He has worked with the musician Black Coffee, with whom he collaborated on the song “Juju.” He has also worked with other musicians.

Wife – Children

Zakes Bantwini is the father of five children; three of them are from prior relationships, while the other two are from his marriage to Nandi Madida (formerly Nandi Mngoma).

Nandi Madida has discussed her relationship with her spouse, Zakes Bantwini, in an open and honest manner. Because of his compassionate personality, Madida stated she had a feeling he was the one for her. The wedding took place in 2016, and the couple now has two children together.

During the course of the conversation, Nandi Madida revealed that it was during a photo session in London with the American rapper, singer, and songwriter Pharrell Williams that she came to the conclusion that Bantwini was “the genuine one.”

Nandi Madida, his wife claimed that her crush on Pharrell Williams was “the largest” she’d ever had. Madida was adamant that she was not the “marriage type,” despite the fact that she was certain Bantwini was the right person for her because of the kind temperament he possessed.

His Early Career

In April of 2011, he released the track “Clap Your Hands,” which included Xolani Sithole as a guest artist. Zakes Bantwini issued their studio album titled “The Fake Book and Real Book: My Music Bible” in the year 2013.

The following year, the record was recognized with a nomination for the 20th South African Music Award (SAMA) in the category of Best Dance Album.

The album Love, Light & Music 2 was released by him on June 23, 2017, exactly one year ago. In 2020, Bantwini remixed Lauv single “Modern Loneliness”.

Ghetto King Album

During the Kunye Event, he gave a preview of his next track “Osama,” which was recorded with Kasango. The recording was supposed to be made available on the 17th of September in 2021.

It was announced on the 2nd of September 2021 that the new release date of the movie “Osama” would be on the 10th of September 2021. On September 10, he collaborated with Kasango to release their single “Osama.”

The song lasted a total of ten weeks at number one on the Radio Monitor Charts, where it reached its highest position. Late in the year 2021, he served as the headliner for the Miss South Africa 2021 pageant.

Ghetto King, Zakes’ third studio album, was made available all over the world at the beginning of December 2021. The CD received mostly favorable reviews from those who write about music. Khetha, BlaQRhythm, DeeTheGeneral, Drega, Karyendasoul, Mthunzi, Nana Atta, Nomkhosi, Skillz, and Skye Wanda are some of the artists featured on this project.

At the beginning of February 2022, Apple Music featured Zakes as the cover star for the album ‘Isigubhu.’ Bantwini made the announcement of his upcoming studio album, titled Abantu, in August 2022. The album is scheduled to be released in November 2022.

Career In Entrepreneurship

Mayonie productions, the label he founded in 2004, is responsible for the release of music with titles such as “Bum Bum,” “Wasting My Time,” and “Clap Your Hands.”

2008 saw the release of Madida’s debut studio album, titled The Good Life. After waiting another year, he finally came out with the album Love, Light and Music, which featured tracks such as “Clap Your Hands” and “Wasting My Time.”

Relationship With L’vovo Derrango

In 2005, Madida was an instrumental in getting Kwaito singer Thokozani Ndlovu, who would eventually be known by his stage name L’vovo Derrango, started on the path to a successful career.

Derrango achieved fame with the publication of his debut album, which was self-named and was distributed by Mayonie Productions and titled Lvovo Derrango. The album was nominated for a SAMA Award in the category of Best Kwaito Album. At the Metro FM awards in 2007, he took home both the award for Best Kwaito and the prize for Song of the Year.

Net Worth 2023

It is estimated that Zakes Bantwini has a net worth of five million dollars. Both his career as a musician and his entrepreneurial endeavors have contributed to the remarkable wealth that he has amassed.

Educational Qualifications

Certificate	Institution	Year
Diploma in Jazz & Popular Music	University of KwaZulu – Natal	2012
Certificate in Music Arrangement	Durban University of Technology	2002
Certificate in Film Music	Durban University of Technology	2003
Certificate in Social Entreprenuiship	Gordon Institute of Business Science	2013