The Best Southern African Songs of 2025 OkayAfrica rounds up the songs that shook stages, speakers, timelines, and WhatsApp groups across Southern Africa this year. music December 17, 2025
Sampa The Great Announces Nu Zamrock With New Single 'Can’t Hold Us' After three years away, the Zambian-born artist reconnects with her roots, pandemic-era setbacks, and a musical legacy that runs in her blood. music December 9, 2025
The Best Amapiano Songs of 2025 The year has been long and eventful. These are the amapiano hits that made it all worth the while. music December 5, 2025
Fed Up With Femicide and Gender-Based Violence in South Africa? Here’s How You Can Help On November 21, South African women will withdraw their labor to demonstrate against gender-based violence and femicide (GBVF). Here's how you can join the collective fight for change. news November 18, 2025
How Godisamang Khunou’s ‘Black Women and Sex’ Explores the Nuances of Sexuality and Bodily Autonomy The South African filmmaker connects cultures and traditions across Africa through candid conversations with three women in Nigeria, Zambia, and South Africa. film tv November 13, 2025
What Lekompo Is, and Why It Matters Now A guide to the sound rising out of Limpopo’s worker compounds and taverns, reshaping stages, identity, and youth culture across Southern Africa. music November 11, 2025
How Independent Jazz Festivals Are Surviving South Africa’s Economy With major events collapsing and budgets tightening, Johannesburg-based festivals like Kids Love Jazz and uManyano Lwe Jazz are proving that community trust is the most valuable currency in the live music ecosystem. music November 5, 2025
Mandisi Dyantyis and the Art of Cleansing Through Song The South African jazz vocalist, trumpeter, and composer bares his soul once again on his third studio album, “Intlambululo: Ukuhlambulula.” music November 4, 2025
Reopened Inquest Rules that Nobel Laureate and ANC Leader Albert Luthuli was Beaten to Death by Apartheid Police New information surrounding the deaths of Chief Albert Luthuli, Griffiths Mxenge and Booyi Mantyi led to inquests being reopened in KwaZulu-Natal and Northern Cape High Courts in 2024. news October 31, 2025
Must-Hear Southern African Songs Right Now: October 2025 Edition For the music highlights from Southern Africa in October, OkayAfrica digs into alternative genres from Botswana, South Africa, Lesotho, and beyond. music October 29, 2025
The Top Amapiano Songs to Stream Right Now: October 2025 Edition This month, we have top amapiano hits from Sfarzo Rtee, LeeMcKrazy, Stixx, MDU aka TRP, and more rising stars redefining the sound across South Africa. music October 28, 2025
The New Amapiano Artists You Need to Know in 2025 Meet the rising talents shaping the next chapter of South Africa’s most dynamic sound. music October 27, 2025
Southern African Alt & Indie Playlist 2025 A spotlight on the artists shaping Southern Africa’s alternative and indie frontier, from experimental jazz to electronic beats redefining the region’s sound. music October 24, 2025
Nduduzo Makhathini Is Turning Jazz Into a Spiritual Language As he prepares to take the stage at New York City’s Jazz at Lincoln Center this weekend, the South African pianist, composer, and healer reflects on spiritual inheritance, carrying his Zulu ancestry into Western venues, and the ancient power of sound to connect us beyond race or place. music October 21, 2025
Best Female Amapiano Artists & Vocalists in 2025 From Kamo Mphela to Boohle and Babalwa M, explore the female voices transforming Amapiano in South Africa. music October 9, 2025
Six South African Activists Seized by Israel Return Home After Gaza Flotilla Detention Following their abduction in international waters by Israeli forces amid the Israel-Gaza conflict, Mandla Mandela, Zukiswa Wanner, and four others from the Global Sumud Flotilla have been deported via Jordan and are now back in Johannesburg. news October 8, 2025
Meet the Underground Artists Redefining Southern Africa’s Music Scene From Gaborone to Joburg, these genre-bending artists are the new faces and sounds driving Southern Africa’s vibrant music movement. music October 6, 2025
Best Amapiano Songs of 2025 So Far — September Roundup Amapiano is a movement. OkayAfrica's September Amapiano roundup spotlight how artists like Focalistic and Shakes & Les keep pushing the genre forward in 2025. music September 30, 2025
Thakzin Shapes His Vision of the Rising South African Electronic Genre, 3-Step The South African artist discusses the making of his new album,’ God’s Window Pt. 1,’ and why 3-Step is more of a state of mind than a music genre. music September 26, 2025
The Top Southern African Songs Right Now: September 2025 Edition For the music highlights from Southern Africa in September, we dig into alternative genres from Lesotho, South Africa, Zimbabwe, and beyond. music September 24, 2025
Malawi’s Ex-President, Peter Mutharika, to Return to Office as Incumbent Concedes Defeat The incoming president, who led the southern African country between 2014 and 2020, will return to power on the back of election results that reflect the disappointment of many Malawians in Lazarus Chakwera’s government. news September 24, 2025
