When Lungie Ngcobo takes her place on the Beyond Busking Live stage this Sunday, she carries with her something far greater than a guitar and an original song. She carries a musical heritage passed through generations of her family – and a determination to ensure that an authentic Maskandi tradition continues to be heard by a new generation.
Lungie is one of the artists selected for the 2026 Beyond Busking Programme, an initiative of Western Cape Arts Festivals (WCAF), in partnership with the Ariva Arts Foundation and proudly funded by the National Lotteries Commission (NLC). Her commitment to the programme has been extraordinary. For four months, Lungie travelled from KwaZulu-Natal to Cape Town to participate in its intensive training, mentorship, professional recording and artist development, while remaining deeply rooted in the traditional Maskandi music she loves.
Her journey will not end with Sunday’s concert. On 2 October 2026, Lungie releases her new single, Ngeke Olivimbe Ikhono, across all major digital platforms – taking the music developed through Beyond Busking into the next chapter of her professional career. But behind that new recording lies a much older story.
Lungie is the granddaughter of the late Shiyani Ngcobo, the respected KwaZulu-Natal Maskandi guitarist, songwriter and teacher whose music travelled from South Africa to international stages. Shiyani taught Maskandi guitar at the University of KwaZulu-Natal, toured internationally and, in 2007, performed at Carnegie Hall’s Zankel Theater in New York.
Shiyani himself learned Maskandi from his older brother, developed and preserved his own interpretation of the tradition and went on to teach others. Today, another generation of the Ngcobo family is carrying that relationship with Maskandi forward through Lungie – and she is doing so in her own right.
Ethnomusicologist Dr Kathryn Olsen, who researched Shiyani and worked closely with him, identifies Lungie as his granddaughter and as one of the few female Maskandi guitarists in South Africa. In a genre historically strongly associated with male performers, Lungie represents both continuity and change – preserving a musical tradition while bringing to it the voice of a new generation of women.
Her new single, Ngeke Olivimbe Ikhono, could hardly be more appropriate to her journey. The song declares that talent cannot be suppressed, regardless of circumstance or opposition. Her commitment to maintaining an authentic Maskandi sound also echoes her grandfather’s musical philosophy, with storytelling at its heart and the guitar itself playing an expressive role in the narrative.
For Lungie, Beyond Busking has not been about leaving her heritage behind in pursuit of something more commercial. It has been about gaining the confidence, professional skills and music-business knowledge to take that heritage further.
“Beyond Busking is my home as an artist. It helped me to be confident and not doubt my talent. It also helped me with the skills to be a musician and in business. It made me understand how to sell myself and how to know what people want,” says Lungie Ngcobo.
Lungie’s four-month commitment to travelling between KwaZulu-Natal and Cape Town also signals the growing reach of Beyond Busking, with the programme now attracting talent from beyond the Western Cape. This Sunday, 27 September, her journey culminates alongside seven other emerging artists at Beyond Busking Live – The Next Stage, at The Loft, 31 Harbour Road, Hout Bay.
Together, the eight artists span Maskandi, Afro-soul, folk-pop, alternative rock, retro rock-and-roll and gospel, reflecting the remarkable diversity of contemporary South African music and the traditions and influences that continue to shape our cultural heritage. The public still has an opportunity to be part of that journey, with 30-second highlights from all eight professionally produced songs available online and listeners invited to vote for the artist and song that connects with them most strongly.
LISTEN AND VOTE: https://wcartsfest.org.za/beyondbuskingvote
Then, just five days after the concert, Lungie’s journey enters its next chapter when Ngeke Olivimbe Ikhono is released across all major digital platforms on 2 October 2026. For Lungie, it is another important step in her own career, but perhaps the greater story is what has travelled with her: music passed through a family, preserved across generations, carried from KwaZulu-Natal to Cape Town, and now being given a new voice through a granddaughter determined to take it forward.
Her grandfather carried Maskandi from KwaZulu-Natal to international stages. His granddaughter is now beginning a journey of her own. And that may be the most fitting story with which to close Heritage Month: heritage does not survive simply because we remember it. It survives because someone chooses to carry it forward.
The Beyond Busking Project is proudly Lotto Funded. We extend our sincere thanks to the National Lottery players; your participation makes these “good-cause” projects possible. The National Lotteries Commission (NLC) relies on funds from the proceeds of the National Lottery.
The Lotteries Act guides the way in which NLC funding may be allocated. The NLC wants the grants to make a difference to the lives of all South Africans, especially those more vulnerable, and to improve the sustainability of the beneficiary organisations. Available funds are distributed to registered and qualifying non-profit organisations in the fields of charities, arts, culture and national heritage, and sport and recreation. By placing its emphasis on areas of greatest need and potential, the NLC contributes to South Africa’s development.
For more information on the National Lotteries Commission, visit: https://www.nlcsa.org.za/
Date: Sunday, 27 September 2026 – Live Concert 18:30 – 20:30
Venue: The Loft, 31 Harbour Road, Hout Bay
Tickets: R120 available from www.quicket.co.za
