Friday, 21 August 2026

Standard Bank Joy of Jazz returns to Sandton Convention Centre in late September, with organisers saying the festival is now in its 27th year and the lineup was built through consultation with audiences, musicians and media.

Joy of Jazz is using big-band and cross-generational collaborations to keep the programme fresh, including Temba and Africa Mkhisa, Kay Makhulu, Melanie Scholtz, and Angelique Kidjo, with South African ensembles backing some acts.

Mantwa Chinwama said the festival began at the Pretoria State Theatre with about 200 people, moved to Newtown as audiences grew, and now treats every artist as a headliner rather than a supporting act.

Bukhabendalo said her song Dotagazi was written for her daughter as an affirmation before high school, and she described leaving the group to tell a fuller story as a queer, Black woman in South Africa.

Ike Pasha reflected on 12 to 15 years at SAFM and more than three decades in SABC radio, saying the station’s legacy rests on the sacrifices of earlier broadcasters who opened doors for others.