SIPHO WILL NEVER BURN OUT

A music career spanning over five decades is no small feat. The legendary Sipho “Hotstix” Mabuse talks to GQ about his outstanding achievements, how he’s managed to last this long, and the many ways his life has changed

- Sanelisiwe Maliza

I DON’T RECALL THE FIRST TIME I HEARD SIPHO “HOTSTIX” MABUSE’S MUSIC. I imagine that one day my parents turned up the volume while one of his hit songs was playing. Maybe that was it. My life is peppered with numerous moments in which his music featured. When I was a child, ‘Burn Out’ would magically rekindle a party, somehow summoning guests to the dancefloor with its hypnotic beat. A traditional wedding was incomplete until guests candidly sang along as soon as the DJ played one of Mabuse’s songs.

MABUSE HAS BEEN INTEGRAL TO OUR LIVES FOR MORE THAN 50 YEARS . To put it into perspective, many things have happened since he began his career in 1968. The tragic Soweto uprising, Mandela’s release from prison, our first democratic elections, winning the Rugby World Cup three times, and TKZee releasing the best Kwaito album of all time. We hosted the 2010 FIFA World Cup and had to stay indoors due to an unprecedented pandemic. Through it all, Mabuse hasn’t burnt out. Decade after decade, he’s created soundtracks for these moments.

We visited Mabuse at his beautiful Afrocentric home in Pimville, Soweto, to chat about his good, bad and memorable moments of the past 50 years and, most importantly, to get advice on achieving ever-elusive success in our career and personal life as he did.

Success is weird in that it seldom follows a formula. For some people, it takes hard work. For others, all it takes is a natural talent. Let’s not forget the ones who get it via a little nepotism sprinkled with privilege. For a Black man born in 1951, it was almost a miracle. It went against the systems and laws of Apartheid South Africa. The gods were smiling down on Mabuse’s career, which is why it comes as a surprise he never planned to work in music.