Sphe Mbhele

Sphe Mbhele is the founder and project manager of The Music Imbizo – the 12 years running international music business conference happening in Durban (South Africa). He is also the marketing and business development manager at DownTown Music Hub.  

Sphe, as commonly called in Durban, is and has been a creative in the Durban scene since 2000. He started off as an emcee/rapper under an alias (miracle) whilst doing his tertiary studies. He performed anywhere and everywhere, leading to opening up for international acts like the Swedish group Loop Troop on their Durban leg of The Imbumba tour. Sphe is also one of the founding members of the underground poetry club called Nowaday Poets. Where he also performed on platforms like Poetry Africa with some of the best in the world.  

During the formation of the Nowaday Poets in Durban, he was responsible for the weekly sessions and marketing thereof. As a very active member of the Durban Hiphop community, he also started an annual event called the Durban Graffiti Exhibition. This is where all elements of Hip-hop were celebrated for a month. After four years of hosting the exhibition plus many other side events – a need to understand the business of entertainment brought The Music Imbizo to life.  

Fast forward to 2020, over 500 speakers and some 30 countries have been part of The Music Imbizo. The conference has hosted some who is who of the global music industry. The likes of Seymour Stein (Vice President – Warner Bros, NY - USA) to Professor Joseph Shabalala (Ladysmith Black Mambazo). More importantly, the conference has been there in the early stages of new sounds coming out of South Africa. It has made sure that more and more youth understand the music business better and make informed decisions when getting into agreements.  

Siphephelo Mbhele is a scholar of the music industry. An Information Technology graduate, currently studying towards his MBA and a cultural activist.