SA: Zakes Bantwini announces inaugural Abantu Festival

The Grammy-winning artist revealed this at a press conference attended by the Cape Town mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis as well as fellow musicians Nomcebo Zikode and Boity Thulo, adding that a line-up comprising South African and international acts will be revealed this week.

“Abantu Festival is going to take place in the most beautiful city in the world, Cape Town. I will be the main act of the show supported by other thrilling artists that you will learn about,” Bantwini said. 

He further stated that he plans to expand the festival within the next three years, starting with a target audience of 25 000 this year, then 45 000 in the next year, with the end goal to reach a capacity of 62 000 in the third year and beyond. 

At the same time, the musician announced that ‘Abantu’ will also be the name of his last album as he is stepping away from performance to focus on other aspects of music: “This is my last album. I am now moving into the business of music, meaning that I am not here to just do music and releasing albums, but working on new projects with amazing talents. This album will mark the end of all my contractual obligations with my current music label, Universal Music.”

The dates of the Abantu Festival have been postponed twice, first from November last year to March this year, then to October, with Bantwini citing an “overwhelming response and support for the festival, which has inspired the organisers to postpone the event in order to elevate the experience and curate something truly world-class.”