Imithente

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About Imithente

Formed by guitarist Simosakhe Mthalane in Johannesburg in 1993, Imithente is one of South Africa's first female maskandi bands. While the group's lineup has changed considerably over time, original members Buselaphi Gxowa, Dumisile Manana and Nokwazi Ntuli established their tightly harmonised sound, singing both upbeat commercial songs about romance as well as traditional spiritual matters at slower tempos—all accompanied by concertina, guitar, percussion and bouncing male-baritone counterpoint. Imithente is named after a kind of grass that grows in rural KwaZulu Natal, and the group's irrepressible township-jive grooves and ululating enthusiasm reflect their Zulu roots. After releasing their debut album, Umbulali, in 1995, Imithente became the first female group to win a South African Music Award for best maskandi album in 2009 for Simqonda Ngqo. In concert, they hit the stage as a 10-piece band with six singer/dancers and four musicians, keeping it in the family with some of Mthalane's children.

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