Daliwonga
Hailing from Diepkloof, Soweto, Daliwonga (Matiwane) has been making a name for himself in the Amapiano scene since about 2019 under the umbrella of Blaqboy Records, the label founded Maphorisa. In that short time, he’s managed to rack up a few notable collaborations with the likes of Kabza De Small, Sha Sha and King Monada.
His 2020 album, Chameleon, earned him a reputation as a young artist to watch, so his inclusion on the nominations list for Favourite Rising Star shouldn’t come as any great surprise.
Hope Mbhele
A KwaZulu– Natal native, Mbhele earned herself a degree in business after leaving school but paired that with a certification in drama – which is just as well considering she works as an actress. Her role in Umkhokha is what catapulted her into the public eye, and she’s been following it up with critically acclaimed roles that have also become audience favourites.
She has appeared on numerous shows and films from on the DStv bouquet and can currently be seen in No Love Lost on Showmax.
Kwenza Ngcobo
Another KwaZulu–Natalian, Ngcobo is best-known for portraying the role of Qhawe Zulu on the local telenovela series, The Wife, although his TV career started with Imbewu: The Seed. A quick internet search will reveal that audiences don’t know much about the man himself, and continue to come up with some wild theories, hoping to glean some information about the actor by studying the character of Qhawe. This premise is obviously flawed, so we won’t do it, here.
What we will do is direct you to his latest work in The Wife on Showmax.
Uncle Vinny
This is starting to become repetitive, but Uncle Vinny (real name Kabelo Vincent Ndlovu) is also from KwaZulu–Natal, but he was raised in Hillbrow, where he was exposed to the assorted entertainment that gave him an idea of what he wanted to do with his life. At 15, he joined Hillbrow FM as a presenter, and he attended the National School of Arts.
He’s a member of MTV Base’s Culture Squad as a VJ, but his music (and accompanying dance moves) is what earned him a place on this list.
Young Stunna
Sandile Msimanga – better known as Young Stunna – has a certain music pedigree that we’ve often heard about successful musicians: he started singing in a church choir. His mother was a vocalist, and his father’s “tavern” establishment (and jukebox) was where Stunna was introduced to a variety of musical genres.
He rose to fame in 2021 after featuring on “Bopha”, the track release by Felo Le Tee, Mellow and Sleazy. He followed that up with the release of his debut album, Notumato, with the single “Adiwele” hitting the number 1 spot on national radio.
The category of Favourite Rising Star is sponsored by Telkom. Remember to vote for your favourite nominees in the category of Favourite Rising Star, here.