By Nkhensani Mthombeni
The year 2022 has proven to be a great one for Xitsonga Afro soul duo, Daniel Brothers, as they keep on winning awards.
They have managed to bag two awards in less than two months in two different prestigious events.
On Saturday, they won the Best Disco/Dance Song for their song “Rirhandzu ra mali” at the 2022 Xitsonga Music Festival hosted by Munghana Lonene FM at Nkowankowa Stadium in Limpopo. They walked away with R12,000 prize money and a trophy.
The pair were also nominated in the Best Xitsonga Group, which was won by Hosi yo Lungha na Xirhami Sisters.
The duo, from Msipana Village outside Tzaneen, told Scrolla.Africa that they are over the moon with the win.
“It is great to be honoured for doing something that we love. We are happy with the win and this tells us that people love and appreciate our music,” said one-half of the duo, Fikile Ngobeni.
“The fact that we were competing against the likes of Cool B and General Muska, who are musical legends, was already a win for us.”
In October they won the Best Afro Soul Album at the 2022 South African Traditional Music Achievement (SATMA) Awards in Nelspruit.
Ngobeni and his neighbour, Ntwanano Mhlongo, established the duo in 2015, after they collaborated on a song titled “N’wana wa vanhu wani tsakisa”. Their fans loved the combination and convinced them they had to form a duo.
They decided on the name Daniel Brothers, because both their fathers are named Daniel. They confirmed to Scrolla.Africa that they will be releasing another single in two weeks’ time, which promises to get their fans dancing throughout the festive season.
Pictured above: The Daniel Brothers after their win
