Zakhele Madida grew up in KwaMashu, a township in Durban in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. Better known by his stage name Zakes Bantwini, he is a multi-talented record producer, musician and singer-songwriter, who is also famed for his nifty foot work and dance moves.

Zakes Bantwini’s music is best described as deep house dance music, that is deeply South African - with catchy hooks and incorporating elements of jazz.

In 2009, Zakes Bantwini was featured in Black Coffee‘s Home Brewed album, in the hit song Juju. The song was nominated in the Record of the Year and Best Music Video categories at the South African Music Awards.

In 2010, Zakes Bantwini released his debut studio album Love, Light and Music. The album featured many hit songs, including Butterfly, Clap Your Hands and Wasting My Time.

Zakes earned several nominations for awards, including Best Urban Dance Album, Record of the Year, Album of the Year and Male Artist of the Year.

In 2013, Zakes Bantwini released his second studio album, The Fake Book and Real Book: My Music Bible; an album that finds its footing and inspiration in live performances. The album received numerous nominations, including Best Male Artist & Best Dance Album at the 13th Metro FM Music Awards and Best Dance Album at the 20^th South African Music Awards.

 Bantwini’s latest album, Love, Light and Music 2, released in 2017 includes Hugh Masekela, Nana Atta, Legato and other guest artists. He has long been known for his club bangers and collaborations with big stars in the industry, but Love, Light & Music 2 signals a new direction for the producer and singer-songwriter:

“This album is inspired by life; it’s also about where I am in my life at the moment. I am not a young boy anymore. I am a married man; I am much more mature. I know better now and that’s what this album symbolises. It was all about the sound first - like, the actual music. I focused on the lyrics later. It’s extremely driven by instruments and the instruments are recorded live”.