SA: Nontokozo Mkhize wins SAMRO Highest Airplay Composer Award for ‘Esandleni’

The award recognises the local composition that recorded the highest airplay during the qualifying period. Mkhize received the honour for ‘Esandleni’, highlighting the continued presence of gospel music on South African broadcast platforms.

The award has previously gone to composers and artists including Kabza De Small for ‘Isimo’, K.O, Young Stunna and Blxckie for ‘Sete’, Zakes Bantwini and Kasango for ‘Osama’, and Master KG and Nomcebo Zikode for ‘Jerusalema’.

Mkhize’s win comes amid growing evidence of increased consumption of gospel and Zulu-language music in South Africa. Spotify’s 2025 Loud & Clear report identified worship music as one of the five fastest-growing genres in the country over the previous five years.

Mkhize’s debut album, Lindiwe, also featured among Spotify’s 10 most-streamed albums in South Africa in 2025, making it the only gospel project on the list. The album surpassed one million streams during its first week and had accumulated more than 28 million streams by the end of the year, according to Spotify Wrapped 2025.

The Loud & Clear report also recorded a 37% year-on-year increase in global royalties for Zulu-language music, with royalties growing by 120% over two years.

The figures point to a growing overlap between broadcast and streaming consumption, particularly for locally produced and language-specific music.

SAMRO General Manager of Member Services Nobambo Goduka congratulated Mkhize and her co-composers, saying the award reflected the reach of gospel music and the growing visibility of South African composers.

“On behalf of SAMRO, we congratulate Nontokozo Mkhize and her team on this well-deserved recognition. Esandleni is a testament to the power of gospel music to move audiences, and this win reflects the broader rise we are seeing in local composers claiming their place on air and on the world’s streaming platforms,” Goduka said.

The SAMRO award is determined by airplay data and forms part of the organisation’s recognition of composers whose works achieve significant exposure across South African radio and television.