Nhlanhla Nciza is a South African singer and fashion designer who is one half of the popular music duo Mafikizolo. The article discusses Nciza's career highlights with Mafikizolo, including overcoming hardships like a car accident and band member's death. It also profiles her fashion brand NN Vintage, which she started to cope with personal tragedy but later struggled with before reviving. The summary captures Nciza's successes in both music and fashion entrepreneurship despite facing significant challenges.

1. Celebrity makeup
artist and stylist
Nthato Mashishi
gave Nciza a regal
sunkissed look
and dramatic
eyes. “I wanted
to capture
her artistic
businesswoman,
yet fashion-
forward persona,”
he says. In this
picture, Nciza
wears her own
clothing brand,
NN Vintage

2. T
HE NAMES NHLANHLA NCIZA AND
Mafikizolo are like bread and butter. Nciza
embodies style and elegance, but behind
this creative, is a businesswoman trying to
make her mark parallel to her music career.
When she grabs the microphone, the world dances
at her feet. Nciza fills the stage with joie de vivre and
ebullience. She has the voice most people only dream
of, that contemporary, yet retro throwback to Miriam
Makeba, which appeals to both young and old. She
dances on stage with panache, like a shy child being
encouraged, but with elegance and class.
Nciza, 36, is not just the ‘first lady’ of Mafikizolo, but a
woman harnessing another passion into a business. Having
taken interest in the imaging of her career, it naturally
followed that this stylish songbird would make a successful
foray into fashion design, through NN Vintage.
Mafikizolo, which means ‘new arrivals’ in isiZulu, has
long outgrown its name. Nciza and fellow band member,
Theo Kgosinkwe, have stuck it out for more than a
decade, through thick and thin.
The duo has enjoyed a longevity uncharacteristic
of many music bands. They started out competing at
talent competitions, and now they’ve ended up winning
numerous accolades.
“The awards mean a lot. We’re getting more love than
we did before,” she says.
At the fourth MTV Africa Music Awards (MAMAs)
in June, in Durban, Nciza thought she had no chance.
A Nigerian was certain to win with their country’s 125
million subscribers ready to cast their mobile votes. A
safe bet, since the Nigerian mobile market is the largest
on the continent. Instead it was Nciza and Kgosinkwe
who ended up walking to the podium for Song of the
Year, for their hit anthem Khona. They also won for
‘Best Group’.
“Winning Song of the Year means a lot especially that
Nigeria has a bigger population than South Africa, and
we still won the award. It shows that people still love our
music all over the continent,” says Nciza.
Mafikizolo returned from the United States (US) in
June following their debut at the Black Entertainment
Television (BET) Awards in Los Angeles. The judges
nominated Mafikizolo for Best African International
Act, pitted against other exceptional African musicians
including Nigeria’s Davido. Together, they had
collaborated on a song called Tchelete, meaning money in
seTswana, that’s currently ruling the airwaves in South
Africa. Davido won on the night but for Mafikizolo, just
being there – and performing for the first time in the US
– was remarkable.
Fifteen months after releasing their double-platinum
eighth album, Reunited, following their hiatus, the group
sealed their comeback with eight wins at the South African
Music Awards (SAMA) in April, along with Channel O and
Metro FM Awards, also in South Africa.
Trials And Tragedy
Mafikizolo’s story is also one of struggle. The band
formed in 1997, and signed with one of South Africa’s
biggest recording companies, Kalawa Jazzmee Records.
Their first four albums barely made a ripple.
Worse was to come...
In December 2001, the group, then a three-member
band, nearly died in a car accident. The trio had decided
to drive to Katlehong, following a performance in
PhotobyNeoNtsoma
South African music duo Mafikizolo is back, scooping all the
top awards in Africa for their double platinum album Reunited.
One half of the group, Nhlanhla Nciza, also a style icon and
fashion entrepreneur, has amped up her music – and her life.
FOCUS
FORBESWOMANAFRICA
NHLANHLA NCIZA
WORDS TSHEPO TSHABALALA
The First Lady
Of Afropop
AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014 FORBESWOMANAFRICA | 11

3. Durban. Once home, they decided to
drive in the dead of night to Mafikeng
for a performance the next day.
“Theo wanted to drive, I guess he
wanted to impress his new girlfriend,
now his wife. So the rest of us fell
asleep and we were woken up by
a big bang. And the next thing I
remember was lying on the gravel on
the side of the road,” says Nciza.
Their car had been hit by a train.
Fortunately that night, all of them
survived. The rest of the band
was discharged the next day from
hospital, but Nciza had to stay on for
over three months.
Lucky to be alive, the group released
an album the following year,
Sibongile, meaning ‘we thank you’ in
isiZulu. It was their breakthrough.
All was well. The group had
picked up the pieces and were getting
back on their feet when tragedy
struck again on Valentine ’s Day in
2004. Vocalist Tebogo Madingoane
was shot and killed in a road rage
incident in South Africa.
Madigoane had brought the
Kwaito sound to the group and his
loss was another blow. Nciza and
Kgosinkwe never thought they would
end up as a duo, but in sadness, they
did. After mourning Madingoane, the
two picked themselves up with the
sound of Mafikizolo.
Then came a purple patch. They
released three more albums, Khwela,
Van Toeka Af and Six Mabone.
Mafikizolo 2.0
Their popularity grew but in 2008
they took a break to reinvent
themselves as solo artists.
“It was scary for me and a
completely different experience as
I was so used to depending on Theo
for so many things… I had to gain
confidence and believe in myself, so I
used my other talent to grab people’s
attention and that was my [passion
for] fashion,” she says.
During this time, Nciza released
two albums, Inguquko (Change) and
Lingcinga Zam (My Thoughts), and
also started to put more hours into
her clothing business, which she had
started a year before.
However tragedy followed her.
Nciza and her record company
executive husband, Thembinkosi
Nciza, lost their five-year-old
daughter Zinathi in a car accident
in December 2009. She was with
her grandmother on their way to a
pre-school to pick up a cousin when
their car crashed into a tree. The
grandmother blacked out behind the
wheel and suffered minor leg and
chest injuries.
“My work was greatly affected. I
was in the middle of promoting my
second album when Zinathi passed,
so everything was on hold. A part
of me is gone and it is the kind of
emptiness that I may have to accept
that may never be filled… I really did
not know where to begin, where to
start picking up the pieces and for a
very long time I just remained in one
place not knowing how to move on, it
felt wrong to move on,” says Nciza.
“Were it not for my husband, I
really don’t know how I could have
started living again. In 2012, I was
blessed with a son, Luvuyo and I am
just grateful to God that he gave me a
chance to be a mom again.”
After mourning her daughter, she
pulled herself together, mustered
strength and continued with her
career. Her family kept her going.
“Keeping busy helped me focus
on other things, so I started writing
music again, performing and started
designing again,” she says.
Through NN Vintage, Nciza
started to hire young people looking
for jobs.
“I wanted to develop young talent.
It was more about the love [of clothes
and music] and not making money.
Below: Nciza
performing
in the US for
the first time
at the BET
Awards in
June in LA
FORBESWOMANAFRICA / FOCUS
PhotobyFaraiGundan
12 | FORBESWOMANAFRICA AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014
PhotobyNeoNtsoma

4. I didn’t look at it in the business sense,”
she says.
Nciza says she acquired her
compassionate nature from her father,
a court interpreter, who, even when
his immediate family was struggling,
would invite cousins into his home.
Nciza ventured into the fashion business
without any prior experience.
She hired eight seamstresses, a
receptionist and rented a small studio
where they could work from, financing
it all herself, at a cost of around R70,000
($6,500) a month. Revenue from her
music career kept the business alive. But
it was doomed from the first stitch.
“I realized a year and a half into my
business that I had employed too many
people and [had] too much equipment.
When the recession came, I was
probably the first person to go down,”
she says.
“I lost a lot of money, around
R600,000 ($56,000) including my
savings. I was new in fashion and I
needed to prove myself. I was a new
designer and I couldn’t sell a R10,000
($930) dress.”
Most times, the people who bought
her dresses were those who knew her
and her music, yet there were times
when she struggled to make sales. She
was so proud she kept the business
failures to herself.
“I didn’t want to tell people that NN
Vintage wasn’t there anymore,” she
says. Her husband could have helped
financially, but Nciza wanted to go it
alone. She had to let go of nearly all the
employees who worked for her. By the
end of 2010, to keep her brand alive,
Nciza stopped dressing clients and only
designed for herself.
The following year, she went back
to the drawing board. She started by
sketching her own designs and slowly
hired seamstresses to bring her designs
to life.
“Right now it makes sense. I still want
to learn more and empower myself. I
want to learn how to make a garment,”
says Nciza.
“When I started out, I was a bit
conservative. I wore below-the-knee
dresses. It was me at the time. What I do
is not necessarily following trends.”
“Their [Mafikizolo’s] comeback
is one that’s unheard of
anywhere in the world of
music. Nhlanhla has proved
every stereotype wrong.
History will live to describe her
as one of the iconic beauties
of Africa. She has done it with
a very special grace and class
as an African lady while being
sexy but reserved. And her
voice emulates the way she
looks…something in there
that you can’t forget. They
[Mafikizolo] started from
the bottom, went to the top,
dropped to ground zero and
are now uncontainable.”
– Leslie Kasumba,
Head of Channel O Africa
“I watched Mafikizolo
perform live for the first
time ever in front of an
American audience during
the BET Awards’ weekend.
They were absolutely world-
class and they rocked.”
– Farai Gundan,
a US-based media executive
“Working with her is great
because she takes her brand
and business seriously and
that’s why she is such a big
brand on the continent.”
– TheoKgosinkwe,Mafikizolo
And indeed, Nciza is a fashion risk-
taker. She is a musician with a palette
for setting trends, just like the black and
white dress on the cover of this issue,
which she first wore for the opening act
of the MAMAs.
“For this particular performance,
I wanted attire that commanded
attention, so I played with a lot of color
and bright accessories. My designs are
always inspired by Africa. They are
feminine, yet bold and fierce at the same
time,” she says.
At last year’s SAMAs, she wore a
long-sleeved silver umbrella shirt with a
pink ribbon around her waist and skirt.
Another risk she took was at this year’s
Metro FM Awards where she wore a
monochrome striped peplum shirt with
an umbrella skirt.
Her designs are for her fans. The
revived NN Vintage is aimed at making
garments for young adults and older
women carving a niche in their industries.
Having been in the fashion business
only a few years now, Nciza admits she
is not making “crazy” money just yet,
but claims people trust her brand. Nciza
says she now sells garments costing up
to R7,500 ($700), and is slowly getting
her clients back, some from as far as
Tanzania and Botswana. This would
allow her to employ designers and more
seamstresses and also open a store when
the time is right.
“I plan to create a special range to
supply to bigger stores, so it can reach
all parts of the country, as that is my
biggest challenge right now. I have also
started with a men’s range and it will be
launched soon,” says Nciza.
Few musicians are able to juggle their
music careers, business and family, but
Nciza is doing well.
Mafikizolo’s music is inspired by their
upbringing, their neighborhoods, their
stories of love, and hardship.
“You don’t need to sell your soul in order
to get ahead. Try and push, only talent will
get you where you want,” she says.
Indeed, hard work and talent have
taken Nciza and Mafikizolo to attain the
success they are enjoying today. Nciza
has created a new brand of South African
music and a new brand of fashion. Both
have her unmistakable stamp. FW
AUGUST / SEPTEMBER 2014 FORBESWOMANAFRICA | 13