Khayelitsha to host top maskandi artists for Youth Day concert.

Top maskandi musicians from across the country will gather in Khayelitsha on Saturday, June 14, for a concert to mark Youth Day, which is celebrated on Monday, June 16.

The event, organised by Cape Town-based maskandi musician Mphathi Wohlelo, will take place at the Thusong Centre near Khayelitsha Mall.

Maskandi is a genre of Zulu folk music that originated in rural KwaZulu-Natal.

The line-up includes Tornado, Nongoma, Mayoghurt, Mboqo, Abanqobi bezizwe, Scorpion, and Diliza.

“It has always been my goal to see this genre performed live in concert in front of its true owners -its fans,” Wohlelo said, adding that maskandi fans across the city have been eagerly anticipating such prominent artists in the genre.

"The only thing left now is for them to ensure they get their hands on tickets, which are selling between R50 and R250,” he said.

“It is Youth Month, so young people should celebrate together with their own traditional music. My aim is to bring maskandi singers under one roof here in Cape Town. While maskandi is hugely popular in KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), it also has a strong following here, yet our musicians have not been given a proper platform to perform. Now is the time for crowd pullers to come together,” he said.

He urged fans to buy tickets as soon as possible.

“I encourage everyone to hurry because tickets will cost R90 if they are still available. I was surprised to see how quickly people have started buying them. This concert is going to be the first of its kind in Khayelitsha,” he said.

Mayoghurt, one of the performers from KZN, has invited his supporters through various communication platforms.