MiTH – 19 NOVEMBER 2025

 

Where can you meet with friends, enjoy great music in a beautiful environment with roaring fires, hearty food and a cash bar – all for just R50? Music in The Hills (MiTH) at The Knoll Historic Guest Farm in Hilton every second Wednesday! Your best bet for an affordable, soul-stirring musical experience with your friends.

The next Music in the Hills takes place on November 19 at The Knoll Historic Guest Farm

Entrance: R50.00 (cash or zapper at the door). For more information contact 082 331 7271.

 

20h30: Tongue-in-Cheek

Born out of a one-night-only tribute show that refused to stay a one-night-only tribute show, Tongue-in-Cheek is a playful, high-energy quartet celebrating the greatest music ever written - with a wink, a grin, and harmonies that hit you right in the nostalgia.

What began as “A Tribute to the GREATS in GREYTOWN” - a themed night honouring icons like The Beatles, Koos Doep, CCR, Theuns Jordaan, and Simon & Garfunkel - revealed a chemistry too good to ignore. The crowd dressed up, sang along, danced, laughed, and the performers discovered they had stumbled into something special.

Formed by the charismatic blend of Charles Webster, Grace Botha, Rebecca Webster and Rudi Engelbrecht, Tongue-in-Cheek delivers a warm, witty, and wonderfully crowd-friendly performance style. Their shows mix heartfelt musicianship with a sense of fun that invites every audience to let loose, sing loudly, and enjoy a night of pure musical joy.

 

19h45: Bruere Venter

Blending folk and indie influences from artists like Jack Johnson, Mumford & Sons, and The Beatles, Bruere brings a warm energy to the stage, drifting between easy-going grooves and heartfelt melodies. Performing familiar covers with his own distinctive touch, he creates an atmosphere that feels both relaxed and genuine. Having played in various bands and duos, he now performs mostly solo — with the occasional duet alongside his partner, Ellena. For Bruere, music is a space to express, connect, and share moments that are honest and full of heart.

 

19h00: Skippy Kubheka

Skippy Kubheka is a local musician from Hilton who has been performing since 2014. He’s been seen performing with out-of-this-world musicians, like bass with Mali Zulu, and drums for Matt Gardiner. He’s the current front-person for the MMM…Band, and has been known to appear in an occasional collaboration or two.

But this time around, he’s about to do something rare; something that hasn’t been done in quite some time… He will be performing a solo act for the first time at MiTH in years. It’s gonna rock!

  

ABOUT MiTH

KZN Midlands’ favourite music venue! MiTH is a platform for beginners, pros, and music lovers to celebrate the joy of music. Every second Wednesday at The Knoll Historic Guest Farm, Hilton.

Food and soft drinks for sale. Cash bar available.

Visit www.mith.co.za for more info or email mithbookings@gmail.com to perform.

  

DIRECTIONS TO MiTH

Take the N3 to Hilton. Turn into Hilton Village and drive 5.2km along Hilton Avenue, which becomes Dennis Shepstone Drive. Look for Knoll Drive on your right; the entrance to MiTH is the second left into The Knoll Historic Guest Farm.

BONJOUR MONSIEUR BREL

 

Jannie du Toit and Ensemble bring Jacque Brel’s timeless songs to life in Bonjour Monsieur Brel at The Old Mushroom Farm in Howick on November 22, 2025, at 17h30.

Described as "a journey through the world of a brilliant dreamer", this is a moving multi-lingual performance with piano, cello and guitar. A masterful celebration of song craft.

Tickets R150 (R120 pensioners and scholars) Booked through Quicket.

BYOB. Food available on site.

The Old Mushroom Farm is located at 11 Karkloof Road in Howick.

CHRISTMAS AT PÉPÈRE CAVE

The lights will glow a little warmer this Christmas. Join in for Christmas at Pépère Cave with Holley and Grace for an evening of festive food, soulful music and Christmas spirit. All in support of Life Changer.

The event takes place on November 19, 2025, at 18h00.

Tickets R850 per adult booked through Quicket. On offer is a three-course dinner and welcome drink. Vegetarian option available

Adults only, limited tables.

Celebrate with purpose. Dine with joy. A night that gives back this Christmas

Pépère Cave is situated in 16 Hilton College Road, KZN

 

DR THOKOZANI MHLAMBI AT THE KZNSA

 

(Left: Dr Thokozani Mhlambi with cello. Pic supplied)

 

An evening of Afrofuturism: the music of John Knox Bokwe

Internationally-acclaimed cellist, vocalist, and cultural pioneer, Dr Thokozani Mhlambi, will present a one-of-a-kind concert, playing music by John Knox Bokwe at the KZNSA Gallery, on Friday November 28, 2025, at 18h00.

Entitled, Thokozani Mhlambi: Playing John Knox Bokwe Today, Mhlambi will be joined by special guest, award-winning storyteller Dr Gcina Mhlophe. He says: “I hope that this performance is more than a concert; it’s an invitation to witness a stunning exploration of sound, words, and shared history.”

“We hope guests will experience a genre-bending evening where tradition meets the future,” says Mhlambi who plays a custom-made baroque cello and sings in isiZulu, blending the rhythms of African traditional anthems like indlamu and umtshotsho with the ethereal soundscapes of Afrofuturism.

With fellowships at prestigious institutions in Germany and France, and as an honorary member of the Vancouver Folk Song Society, Mhlambi’s influence spans continents. He has performed at renowned venues in Chicago, Berlin, New Orleans, New York, and São Paulo, but his return to Durban audiences promises an intimate and immersive experience.

The show coincides with the release of Mhlambi’s new single, Plea for Africa, a heritage piece originally composed by John Knox Bokwe. Mhlambi explains the influence of the piece on his work:

“John Knox Bokwe was a South African journalist, Presbyterian minister and one of the most celebrated Xhosa hymn writers and musicians (March 15, 1855 – February 22, 1922). A writer on the Imvo Zabantsundu newspaper ("African Opinion") in (what was) King Williams Town, he is best known for his compositions Vuka Deborah, Plea for Africa, and Marriage Song. Bokwe is recognized as the first-known Black South African composer to have notated his own music, marking a significant point in South African musical history.

“Back in the 1870s, John Knox Bokwe, while at Lovedale Missionary Institute, started to compose music fusing the Western hymn-style with Xhosa lyrics. I consider John Knox Bokwe the Father of African composition. He is my role model. His music is timeless and imagine the music of the future.”

The performance in Durban promises to be informative and entertaining—creating an unforgettable evening of connection and collaboration.

In his album Zulu Song Cycle (2019), Mhlambi explores the limits of creative expression by blurring the distinction between European early classical music and African ancient sounds, this is in ways that defy the orthodoxy of his own classical education. Contending with orthodoxies and the rules they impose is what Mhlambi does best, by inverting, subverting what (to some) might be the norm.

Mhlambi has dedicated his time to retrieving historical sounds from archives, based on collections in Africa and elsewhere. The result has been compositions that reflects different epochs, different time zones in human evolution.

He has an interest in the relationship between art and technology, an interest he explores through his research on African traditions of metallurgy. This has allowed Mhlambi to think about the nature of artistic expertise in correlation with metallurgical expertise, in his musical compositions.  Chief amongst Mhlambi’s theoretical concerns is about thinking beyond the colonial sound archive, in imagining a sonic past and future.

In 2023, Mhlambi was invited to be part of the Reimagining America Program 2023, where he worked with youth string-players from the city of Providence (Rhode Island).

He is an Honorary Member of the Vancouver Folk Song Society and has also been a visiting lecturer at Simon Fraser University also in Vancouver, where he performed at the World Arts Centre. He has performed at the venues such as Elastic Arts in Chicago, Prachtwerk in Berlin, Minneapolis, New Orleans (Tulane), São Paulo, Maputo (Mozambique) and New York (Performa).

Tickets through Webtickets - https://www.webtickets.co.za/v2/event.aspx?itemid=1580090440

Thokozani Mhlambi: Playing John Knox Bokwe Today takes place on November 28, 2025, at 18h00 at the KZNSA Gallery, 166 Bulwer Road, Berea, Durban.

For more information visit his website at thokozanimhlambi.com

 

BASSEY AND ME

 

(Left: Tonya Koenderman. Pic supplied)

 

Acclaimed international cabaret artist Tonya Koenderman is set to dazzle audiences with her latest show, Bassey and Me — a heartfelt tribute to the legendary Dame Shirley Bassey.

Rhumbelow Theatre will present this show as follows:

November 21 - Rhumbelow Northlands Bowling Club. Show starts 19h30

November 22 – Rhumbelow Umbilo. Show starts at 19h30

November 23 – Rhumbelow Umbilo. Show starts at 14h00

 

(Venues open 90 minutes before show for snacks/drinks)

After more than 60 years in show business, Dame Shirley Bassey remains an icon, and Bassey and Me celebrates her extraordinary journey from humble beginnings to international superstardom. The show features many of the timeless hits that defined her career, including Diamonds Are Forever, Goldfinger, Never Never Never, Big Spender, Nobody Does It Like Me, and This Is My Life, amongst others.

Koenderman not only delivers Bassey’s powerful songs but also narrates her story — the struggles, the heartbreaks, and the triumphs. She shares the personal impact Bassey had on her own life, recalling how a shy little girl with a big belting voice was inspired by Sundays spent listening to Bassey records over and over again. The show draws parallels between the two performers, highlighting the qualities that first drew Tonya to her idol.

Don’t miss this unforgettable tribute to one of the greatest voices of our time.

Tickets R180.00. Booking is essential on email: roland@stansell.co.za or through WEBTICKETS http://events.durbantheatre.com/

Full bar available (no alcohol may be brought on to the premises)

Durban – Bring food picnic baskets or buy at the venue

Northlands - Bring food picnic baskets.

 

Performance on Friday November 21 R160 for Northlands Members

Limited secure parking available.

For more information contact 0824998636.

DRAKENSBERG BOYS CHOIR NOËL TOUR 2025

 

The wait is over! Tickets are now LIVE for the Drakensberg Boys Choir Noël Tour 2025 – The Promise of Light. Experience a journey from sacred stillness to joyous celebration across KwaZulu-Natal this festive season.

 

Tour dates:

22 Nov – DBCS Ken Mackenzie Auditorium, Drakensberg (10h30)

23 Nov – Michaelhouse, Balgowan (14h30)

24 Nov – Wembley College, Greytown (18h00)

25 Nov – Newcastle High (18h00)

26 Nov – Grantleigh, Richards Bay (18h00)

27 Nov – Reddam Ballito (18h00)

28 Nov – St Agnes, Kloof (19h00)

30 Nov – Reddam Umhlanga (18h00)

 

Special guest artist: Jannie du Toit joins the opening shows in Drakensberg (November 22) and Balgowan (November 23) – don’t miss this icon performing his hits and timeless Jacques Brel classics.

Book now at www.dbchoir.com/bookings.

#DBCS #NoelTour2025 #PromiseOfLight #MusicIsOurMinistry

 

SAKHILE GUMEDE FOR 47th INTERNATIONAL FILM FESTIVAL

 

(Right: Sakhile Gumede. Photo supplied)

The University of KwaZulu-Natal’s Centre for Creative Arts (CCA) is pleased to announce the appointment of Sakhile Gumede as the Festival Manager for  the 47^th edition of the Durban International Film Festival (DIFF) in 2026.

Gumede is no stranger to the CCA and has been working  in various roles since 2006.  Since 2018 Gumede has led DIFF’s Isiphethu Programme, the festival’s training and development arm with core components that include Student Films, the IsiZulu Scriptwriting Workshop, and an Industry Programme of workshops and masterclasses. 

He previously served for many years as coordinator and programmer of the DIFF Shorts section, and in 2007 completed a course in Event Organising and Film Festival Management at DW Akademie (Germany).

Currently, Sakhile curates the Science Film Festival (in collaboration with the Goethe-Institut Johannesburg) and the Poetry Africa Film Festival, which forms part of the renowned Poetry Africa Festival. He has built strong relationships with art centres and communities across KwaZulu-Natal, as well as with Durban-based film schools.

Gumede has represented DIFF globally at prestigious events such as the Berlinale in Germany, in Switzerland  and in Brazil at Mostra de Cinemas Africanos. He recently visited to Fuzhou, China as part of the South African film delegation and will serve as a jury member at Luxor African Film Festival in Egypt during March 2026.

“My vision is to continue to position DIFF as a leading festival for African and South African films,” says Gumede. “We will strengthen DIFF’s role as a bridge between filmmakers on the continent and those abroad, deepen our relationship with South African audiences, and uphold integrity and promote excellence in filmmaking through diverse perspectives in our programming and through robust engagement with an advisory committee. Guided by the values of our Constitution, we will celebrate human resilience, freedom of speech, and democracy, while building strong partnerships with festivals across Africa through skill-sharing, collaboration and exchanges. I look forward to this new role and  engaging with the industry to find innovative and collaborative ways to grow this iconic festival.”

Ismail Mahomed, Director of the Centre for Creative Arts, says: “We are delighted to welcome Sakhile into this role. His track record in development and community engagement, alongside his African outlook in the context of South Africa’s role on the global stage, positions DIFF for a dynamic new chapter.”

For more information on the Centre for Creative Arts, click on the advert to the right of this article and you will be connected to the CCA website.

THE PREDICAMENT: REVIEW

 

Overall, I enjoyed this offering, by one of my favourite authors, and I will certainly be on the lookout for the final Gabriel Dax novel. (Review by Fiona de Goede)

 

In the preface, the author has cited a quotation (which he translated from French) by Jean-Baptiste Charbonneau, 1957: There is the story – and then there is the story within the story.  And then there is another story, buried, that only a select few are able to read.

This indeed sums up the premise of The Predicament. Gabriel Dax, travel writer and reluctant operative for MI6, is sent to Guatemala to try and ascertain whether a political coup of the current regime is being plotted.

Whilst there, he encounters various unsavoury characters and events hot up. Gabriel has to leave Guatemala in somewhat of a hurry and he then finds himself in West Berlin. Much to his horror, he then stumbles upon an audacious plan to assassinate the young President John F Kennedy, whilst on a state visit to Berlin. Several of the unsavoury characters that he encountered in the Guatemala scenario, crop up again. Gabriel has to thwart this assassination attempt but time is very much against him.

The story is set in 1963 – when spies and agents were a very different breed than they are (I would imagine) today. Gabriel is taught the basic skills of self-defense and the artifice of following a suspect. That more or less is the extent of his training – no gadgets, no frills.  Just his innate sense of knowing what to do and how to react.  And this is what made reading this novel such a treat.

The elegance, style and polish that is Gabriel Dax was a pleasure to read and I found myself enthralled with this character. His sartorial elegance, his fine dining menu choices and his overall man-about-town aura is just too wonderful.

Gabriel’s love interest is the mysterious Faith Green, his MI6 handler. She never allows him to get too close to her but Gabriel does manage to win her over, to some extent, albeit mostly on her terms.  Clearly a woman ahead of her time…

The Predicament is the second book in the Gabriel Dax trilogy – the prequel, which I have not read, being Gabriel’s Moon. Overall, I enjoyed this offering, by one of my favourite authors, and I will certainly be on the lookout for the final Gabriel Dax novel. Hopefully soon. - Fiona de Goede 

The Predicament is published by Penguin Random House South Africa   ISBN 978-0-241-76114-4

THE ORIGINAL DAUGHTER: REVIEW

 

The creation of highly competitive working-class life in Singapore is interesting and convincing (Review by Margaret von Klemperer, courtesy of The Witness)

 

Jemimah Wei’s debut novel, The Original Daughter, is a complex tale of messy family dynamics, sibling rivalry, affection turning to resentment and, above all, perceived betrayal.

The story opens in 2015, in Singapore, where the Yang family live. Downtrodden Gen is caring for her dying mother who wants her to contact her estranged sister Arin who is living a glamorous and successful life abroad and to ask her to come back and say goodbye. But Gen cannot bring herself to do that.

We then go back to 1996 when eight-year-old Gen is living with her taxi-driver father, librarian mother and difficult grandmother in the same small flat as in the novel’s opening chapter, and is an only child. Until the sudden arrival of a “sister” who is not actually a sister but a family member through complicated and difficult relationships. A year younger than Gen, she has come from Malaysia and has been uprooted from the only family she has ever known, but is inevitably a disruption to the lives of the Yangs.

So Gen takes her under her wing and, as they negotiate childhood and adolescence, they become close. But rifts begin to develop – Gen is protective of “her” family and sees some of Arin’s actions as manipulative, and, while Gen was initially the driven one, the high achiever, that begins to change. Singapore is a relentlessly competitive society, one where coming second is never good enough. So, as things start to unravel once the girls reach adulthood, Gen moves to New Zealand.

However, it is not an entirely successful move, and when things go badly, Arin comes to help. And that is where their estrangement really takes hold and what seems to be a permanent rift between the two develops.

While Wei has drawn a lifelike picture of how close relationships can fall apart, and deals sensitively with the difficulties that can arise in families, towards the latter part of the book, before Gen does return to Singapore, the reader cannot help feeling that she makes too much of an issue of it all. The Original Daughter is a long novel, and towards the end, I was beginning to feel that it could have been written a little more tightly without losing any of its impact.

Nonetheless, the writing is descriptive and evocative. The creation of highly competitive working-class life in Singapore is interesting and convincing.  Gen, the first-person narrator of the novel, is a mostly sympathetic character, even as we regret some of the choices she makes. It is an impressive debut. - Margaret von Klemperer

The Original Daughter is published by Weidenfeld & Nicolson

KZNPO 2025 SPRING SEASON CONCERT #2

 

The second and final concert of the KZN Philharmonic’s 2025 World Symphony Spring Season takes place in The Playhouse Opera on Thursday November 13, starting at 19h00.

Grammy Award-winning conductor Michael Repper makes his KZN Philharmonic debut on November 13 with a programme of English, Austrian and German classics spanning the late 18th and 19th centuries – curated to afford the audience an evening of contrasting musical adventures.  Maestro Repper opens with Elgar’s idyllic Serenade for Strings.

Haydn's joyous D major Cello Concerto heralds the debut appearance of the acclaimed Norwegian cellist Sandra Lied Haga. Her interpretation is eagerly awaited as she puts her stamp on its wealth of melodies and bravura passages. The evening climaxes in high spirits with the youthful vigour and optimism of the teenage Felix ebullient Mendelssohn's First Symphony.

There are park and bus options for patrons who would prefer not to self-drive to the concerts. There are routes from Upper Highway, St Agnes (depart 17h50); North Coast, Grace Family Church (depart 18h10); Westville Senior Primary (depart 18h10) and Berea Caister Lodge (depart 18h20). Book through the KZN Phil offices before 16h00 Monday before each concert.

KZN Philharmonic tickets are available at Quicket outlets.

For more information, call 031-369 9438, email bookings@kznphil.org.za or visit www.kznphil.org.za.

 

To link to the KZNPO’s website, click on the advert at the top right hand of this article.

 

AMAQHAWE ESIZWE MUSIC FESTIVAL

 

Celebrate South Africa’s cultural heroes and spiritual artistry at the Amaqhawe Esizwe Music Festival! Experience dynamic gospel and traditional performances from talented artists, including Bahubhe, Amayellowbone, Solwazi, Gadla Nxumalo and more.

This special event honours local and international South African representatives recognised by His Majesty the King and the SA State President, showcasing unity, excellence and the rich spirit of South African music.

The festival takes place on November 15 at 12h00 in the Playhouse Opera Theatre.

Tickets: R150 – R200 available at Webtickets

MASINGA – THE CALLING

Showmax has just dropped the trailer for Masinga – The Calling, which premieres on the African streamer on Friday, December 5, 2025.

Filmed in KwaZulu-Natal and London, Masinga – The Calling won Best Director and Best Screenplay for Mark Engels at both the 2025 Simon Mabhunu Sabela Awards in Durban and The Palermo Independent International Film Festival in Italy. 

The crime thriller explores an exiled detective's return to his homeland, where he is forced to confront the demons of his youth and the trauma of the ritual murder of his young brother who had albinism, while rescuing an Asian girl from a similar fate.

In the title role, SAFTA winner Hakeem Kae-Kazeem (Pirates of Caribbean, Hotel Rwanda) leads a star-studded cast that includes Shamilla Miller (The Umbrella Men, Devil's Peak) as his rookie partner, plus SAFTA winners Abdul Khoza (Shaka iLembe, The Wife), Fana Mokoena (World War Z, The Lab), Warren Masemola (The Republic, Tjovitjo), and Brandon Auret (Elysium, District 9, Rebel Moon), as well as Sean Cameron Michael (Black Sails, Die Byl) and Mbuso Khoza, who took home Best Supporting Actor at the 2025 Simon Mabhunu Sabela Awards.

News24’s Joel Ontong says, “Masinga - The Calling packs a powerful punch… The pacing is airtight, resulting in an instantly enthralling experience.”

Watch the trailer:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdB9RcNWpHE