South Africa’s Zahara to enter cutthroat taxi business

But the ‘Loliwe’ hitmaker is not done with music just yet; she will be launching a new album in September. This after Zahara signed a distribution deal with Warner Music. Speaking to local media, Zahara said that after the release of her album, she would focus on breaking into the taxi industry, opening a butchery and lending money via a joint venture with her sister Bandezwa. The company will be named BeeZee. 

When asked how she would wield business and music simultaneously, Zahara said her sister would manage the business while she attends to music.

The South African taxi and moneylending industries are often defined by Mafioso-like practices. Wars between taxi associations are fought over routes and drivers are sometimes pitted against each other in gun battles that result in hundreds of deaths and injuries each year.

Zahara says she is aware of taxi violence but that she’s not worried about her safety. “I am not scared of taxi violence or anything like that because I have a family member who is involved in taxis and knows all the details of the industry,” she told a local publication. “I want to launch before the November-December transport rush when people go home.”

Zahara said she was not impressed with the harsh interest rates informal lenders were imposing on their clients and wanted to “change the way people lend money”.

There are many musicians who are pursuing business interests outside of the South African music industry. One example is Proverb who was recently named as a non-executive director on the board of Flight Centre.