‘To raise a child with tenderness is an act of resistance’: Zolani Mahola. Photo: Gary van Wyk
Zolani Mahola has always had range, vocally and creatively, but also as a mother, activist and mentor.
She first entered South Africa’s spotlight as the luminous voice of Afro-fusion band Freshlyground, and is now a solo artist known as ‘The One who Sings’, who is embracing motherhood, not as an interruption of her artistry, but as its most authentic source.
Her story didn’t start out as one of stardom. Born in Gqeberha in 1981, Zolani grew up in a home where money was often scarce, a reality that gave her resilience, but also a complicated relationship with financial security.
“I became aware from a young age of money’s weight and power,” she reflects. “But I also carried some fear around it that took time to unlearn.”
It’s a story many South African mothers know all too well. Having to make do with less, turning scarcity into sustenance, and shielding their children. But Zolani’s perspective on wealth has evolved. She now sees money not as a measure of success or self-worth, but simply as “energy… a tool for freedom and impact, especially when used in alignment with purpose and community.”
That purpose is evident in everything Zolani touches. From co-creating the 2010 FIFA World Cup anthem, “Waka Waka”, to forming her all-female band The Feminine Force, Zolani is challenging industry norms and rewriting the rules of what being an artist and mother look like.
“Motherhood didn’t take me away from my art; it brought me closer to my truth,” she says. “In entertainment, it’s often seen as a complication—but for me, it’s a deepening.”
Zolani explains her belief that to mother is not just a private act, but a political one.
“In a time when the world feels heavy, fast, and uncertain, motherhood is radical,” she says. “To raise a child with tenderness… is an act of resistance.”
Her approach to parenting is steeped in reverence, not control.
“Children come into this world whole, intuitive, and deeply connected to themselves and the Earth,” she explains. “As mothers, we are guardians of that light. My role is not to mould my children into who I think they should be, but to protect their curiosity… to help them stay connected to their inner knowing.”
The loss of her mother at a young age also informs how she shows up for her own children, and how she teaches them about money.
“I want my children to see money as a tool, not something to fear or chase,” she says. “True wealth, to me, is about community, creativity, and freedom… not just what we earn, but what we pass on emotionally and spiritually.”
For working mothers across South Africa, Zolani’s message is honest and hopeful, “You don’t have to do it perfectly, just consciously. And you don’t have to do it alone.”
She is particularly passionate about dismantling the myth that women don’t support one another. “My band The Feminine Force is built on the belief that when women support each other, magic happens,” she says. She credits unsung women—such as the praying woman down the road, the gogo next door raising a generation, the aunties who sang in church —as her role models, even when the entertainment world didn’t reflect someone who looked like her.
“South African mothers are forces. We lead households, communities, and movements,” she says.
Asked whether mothers can have it all, Mahola doesn’t hesitate, “We can have all that truly matters—love, connection, meaning, purpose—but not all at once, and not without cost.” Her definition of success is not perfection, but rather “wholeness.”
As South Africa honours mothers this month, Mahola stands tall not just as a musical icon, but as a mother.