South African star Zolani Mahola: From 'Waka Waka' with Shakira to 'People Power'

Home Shows arts24 Video content Program Culture To display this content from YouTube, you must enable advertisement tracking and audience measurement. One of your browser extensions seems to be blocking the video player from loading. To watch this content, you may need to disable it on this site. Cover image: arts24 © FRANCE 24 12:09 Issued on: 05/11/2026 - 14:34Modified: 05/11/2026 - 14:34 From the show From the global success of "Waka Waka" to her forthcoming second solo album "People Power", South Africa's Zolani Mahola has built a career around the power of music to bring people together. As the frontwoman of multiracial, multi-genre band Freshlyground, she became one of the defining voices of a new, democratic South Africa. Her music reached millions around the world when she joined Shakira on the 2010 World Cup anthem "Waka Waka". Now pursuing a solo career since 2019, Mahola is preparing to release her second album and will soon be the focus of a new documentary directed by Pippa Ehrlich, who won an Oscar for "My Octopus Teacher". Eve Jackson caught up with her at FAME Week Africa in Cape Town.