Zwai Mbula

The creative use of the marimba is something Zwai is very passionate about. The  marimba has opportunities that are not being explored and Zwai wishes to discover  its potential through open-minded collaborations with artists that work within different  styles of music. Sabela Productions hopes to create the ground for such work and  provide possibilities to communicate this music to an audience.

? Zwai plays high-energy marimba and percussion combining the traditional African  music with modern pop, Afro Jazz and World music. Originally Zwai comes from  Guguletu Township in Cape Town and grew up with the marimba music. He started  playing at the age of 12 when he led Siyavuka Cultural Group at the local community  centre. The group won the Shell Road to Fame Talent Show in South Africa in 1996.  Since then Zwai has been educated at The College of Music at The University of  Cape Town and has played in a variety of bands with different styles of music.    

ZML Marimba toured to France as a supporting band for Bafana Bafana and also  representing South African music in the FIFA World Cup of ’98, and 2010, and have  also played in Hong Kong, China, Seychelles, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan,  Switzerland, Sweden, Denmark, Italy, Austria, Norway and Holland. His most recent  tour (2016/17) went to Estonia, South Africa where he performed with the well-ac knowledged South African musicians. 

Zwai Mbula has been fortunately enough to have performed for former President  Nelson Mandela, FW De Klerk and Arch Bishop Desmond Tutu and at the an nouncement of the Noble Peace prize for President Barrack Obama.  

Conducting African music workshops is also part of Zwai’s work, and it is something  he has the opportunity to do both at home and abroad. He has taught at various  schools and at the Lutheran Community Church in Philippi. In the summer of 2007  Zwai was hired by Norges Musikkorps Forbund (Norwegian Brass Band Association)  to conduct African music workshops in Norway. During this project Zwai cooperated  closely with Ante Skaug, who is an acknowledged conductor, marimbist and percus sionist. Ante and Zwai have made plans for further collaborations.