Thabiso Njoko

BIO

Thabiso Njoko, professionally known as D_cider, is a multidisciplinary Eswatini creative, music executive, entrepreneur, and cultural-development practitioner whose work spans music, creative industries, technology, tourism, sustainability, and community development. He is the Founder and President of Riska_D_Rollaz Records, an independent creative company established in 2010, and the founder and CEO of Secunda Henderson Management, which provides management and strategic support across his growing portfolio of ventures. As an artist, Thabiso Njoko, also known as D_cider, has developed a distinctive approach to music that combines African creativity with contemporary sounds and emerging technologies. His artistic work extends beyond conventional music through his involvement in Web3, blockchain, NFTs, digital art, and independent music publishing. He has also worked under the creative aliases Benjamin Stash and Joyrebel Smooth. Through Umcatsane Music Publishing, his music-industry activities include publishing administration, royalty collection, metadata management, YouTube Content ID, sync opportunities, and emerging Web3 applications for music. His catalogue includes releases and projects across different stages of his career, including the Vineyard series and the White Paper EP. Njoko is also active in building platforms that connect the creative economy with sustainable development. He is the founder and executive director of the Spaza Union Initiative (SUI), an emerging enterprise focused on strengthening informal retailers through collective procurement, logistics, technology, financial systems, branding, and environmentally sustainable solutions. The initiative also incorporates youth environmental empowerment and community-support programmes. His wider entrepreneurial ecosystem includes Riska_D_Rollaz Travel & Tours, renewable-energy initiatives, agricultural projects, food-security programmes, technology ventures, and community-based tourism. He is particularly interested in using entrepreneurship and innovation to create economic opportunities while contributing to sustainable development in Eswatini. Njoko is also involved in community tourism and heritage development through the Ngwempisi Trust, which works around the Velezizweni Royal Kraal and supports tourism assets including Khelekhele Lodge & Campsite, Khopho Backpackers, and Ngwempisi Hiking Trails. In the cultural-events space, he is the Chairman of Kudla Kwesintfu Festival, an emerging food, culture, music, tourism, and lifestyle festival planned for Eswatini. The festival seeks to create a platform for local and international artists, entrepreneurs, food producers, tourism operators, creatives, and communities. Beyond music and entrepreneurship, Njoko has increasingly focused on sustainable development, climate innovation, renewable energy, youth empowerment, and inclusive economic development. He completed the University of Eswatini’s Community Minigrid Development Certificate Programme through the Africa Minigrids Program and continues to explore the intersection of technology, sustainability, entrepreneurship, and community development. His approach is rooted in building interconnected ecosystems rather than isolated projects—using music and culture as vehicles for storytelling, entrepreneurship as a mechanism for economic participation, and technology as a tool for expanding access and opportunity. From independent music and digital creativity to tourism, informal-sector development, agriculture, renewable energy, and cultural programming, Thabiso Njoko represents a new generation of Eswatini creative entrepreneurs working across disciplines to build sustainable platforms for economic and cultural growth.