PICS: Zahara goes home to Phumlani in the Eastern Cape

On this week’s episode of The Insider SA, Zahara took fans back to where it all began: Phumlani in the Eastern Cape, where she started singing in her school and church choir when when she was only six years old.

Zahara, born Bulelwa Mkutukana, is a multi-award winning musician whose debut album, Loliwe has sold over 100 000 copies in South Africa alone and went double-platinum in only 17 days.

Although her life is now in Johannesburg, Zahara’s heart is still at home.

“I love coming to my village because when I get here, my spirit gets freed and I get love because I know I’m coming to my mama’s house. This was where I was born and bred and buttered”, she said on the episode.

 “I was never taught how to play the guitar, it just comes from the heart”, Zahara told The Insider SA. “For me, the guitar is a symbol of hope. When everybody is gone, when all my friends are gone, I’ll still have my guitar. When I saw no light, I knew, something will happen.”
 
Her breakout single, Loliwe, was inspired by her mother’s stories of the migrant labourers who would leave on the train to Johannesburg.

“Some came back and some never came back. For me, it was a metaphor for life. Don’t worry about what other people are doing and if they’re meeting their destination now. You’re going to meet yours too when the time comes.”
 
A memory Zahara will never forget was in 2013 when Nelson Mandela personally invited her to sing in his home. When she finished, Mandela applauded and told her, “Zahara, you are a very special girl and South Africa is blessed to have you. The stars are upon you, may they shine where ever you go”.

Zahara concludes: “There’s one thing I love about me, I never wanted to be called only a dreamer, I wanted to be called an achiever. But, I’ll forever be a village girl. The soul will always be within me.”