Yvonne Chaka Chaka is taking a stance on sex

Her living room is adorned with framed pictures of herself with icons, among them Nelson Mandela, who visited her at her home in the nineties. There are also magazine covers that she’s graced over the years. Some of the awards she’s earned over a glorious 30 years in the music industry are displayed on her piano.

Currently she can be seen online with DJ Reason in a video featuring the song Let’s Talk – about family planning and recorded in support of the national department of health.

“I like working with musicians who have respect for themselves and the craft of making music,” she says.

“Let’s Talk encourages parents and children to communicate about sex,” says Chaka Chaka of the song. “People tend to emulate the things that musicians sing about. That’s why we have so many girls who are half naked in nightclubs and who are experimenting with sex at a very young age.

“Sex is a wonderful thing, but having sex when you’re a child can bring you a lot more stress than pleasure. I don’t think young musicians understand the responsibility they have to spread these kinds of messages through their music.”

Chaka Chaka admits she had to do some homework on Reason, as she didn’t really know much about him and his music.

“When we met for the first time, he arrived late and I was very upset. But after he told me he was busy taking care of his fiance, who wasn’t well at the time, my heart melted. He is not what I expected from a rapper. He is so decent and respectful.”

Chaka Chaka was appointed as a goodwill ambassador for Unicef (United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund) in 2005.

Since then she has been lending her voice to some of the biggest social issues facing the African continent, such as teenage pregnancy.

Speaking on her plans for the future, she says: “As long as I can still stand in stilettos, I plan to keep doing what I do best – getting on stage and singing my heart out.”