“Recording my first original piece of music has been a dream come true – and it’s been a long time coming!” says Thando. “Busking can take an emotional toll on you, especially in South Africa where people see us as beggars and not as talented artists.”

His song is an amapiano piece called Hlalethembeni. “Fittingly, the song means stay in hope – I have really pushed through some difficult times in my life and challenged myself through this process, as the song is a new sound for me.”

“We pride ourselves in creative partnerships” says Cape Town Arts Festival director, Yusuf Ganief, who approached the Cape Audio College to partner in the Beyond Busking Programme. “Cape Town is one of the most creative cities in the world and I believe we can change lives when we come together and share our resources and skills.”

Thando has long been involved in the arts, and started his own company called Onehearts playing djembe, singing and dancing. He’s performed with Beatenberg, opened for Micasa and played at the Cape Town Jazz Festival alongside Sipho Hotstix Mabuse.

“I started playing djembe in 2014 and it just flows through my spirit and blood,” says Thando. “No one taught me, it was a gift – it’s how I express my emotions and pass positive energy to other people.”

Thando busks around Cape Town at the Company Gardens, Sea Point and the Amphitheatre at the V&A Waterfront, and was spotted by Thabo Tshelane, the Media and Marketing Manager for Cape Town Arts Festival. Thabo told him that they were holding auditions for buskers to go through a skills and development programme. “I applied, and the rest is history!”

Looking to the future, Thando wants to travel the world with his music as well as spread his passion for music and the arts locally. “I want to reach more communities in the Western Cape – right now we are just creating platforms for artists in my neighborhood, Gugulethu through my business Thando Feni Entertainment, and hopefully we’ll have a wider scope in the coming years.”