If you thought our identity as South Africans is only found in the colours of our flag, our languages or our food, take a step back. You’ve missed another key part of who we are: our music.
It lives in the beats blasting from a passing taxi, the old-school classics that get us on our feet at a braai and the soulful ballads streaming through our headphones as we work, study or unwind.
That’s why, for this Heritage Day, we decided to celebrate the sounds that make us proudly South African. We asked Flowstars to share the songs that feel like unofficial national anthems – tracks that instantly take them back to a moment, a memory or a feeling of Mzansi.
Here’s a playlist from the hearts of our teammates …
Miliswa Sitshwele – head of social media
For me: It’s About Time by Boom Shaka.
This song just takes me back to 1994, when South Africa held its first democratic elections, and suddenly there were all these Black artists and voices everywhere. I was about nine, and everyone was wearing Doc Martens, dungarees and those thick, long braids – which my grandmother had none of.
Boom Shaka were huge. It’s About Time was one of those songs that came out right as democracy was starting – you could feel its purpose and hope for what South Africa could become.
There was just something in the air back then, you know? Everything felt possible.
Willem Steenkamp – senior writer/editor
Mine is one of the most beautiful, poetic musical works ever to have come out of this country: Hillbrow, by Johannes Kerkorrel en die Gereformeerde Blues Band.
His late-1980s portrait of this Jozi suburb and its decay, and how we should give our hearts to Hillbrow, is probably as relevant now as it was then, but that’s not it. It is searing, and soaring, written with love – and every word in the lyric is in its place.
Caroline Smith – head of PR
So, mine is Weeping by Bright Blue.
It was one of our anthems during the struggle against apartheid – it demonstrated ways in which white people could show up. You can hear Nkosi … in the soundtrack – banned on SABC but played because of this song. And it still makes me proud of our country.
Allison MacDonald – senior account director and strategist
Bright Blue, Weeping.
It’s a lovely song – a beautiful melody done by a wonderful voice. Plus, there’s this: the song (back in the 80s) was a subversive protest under really brutal apartheid censorship laws. For example, Nkosi Sikelel’ … was banned at the time, but Weeping (defiantly) included the Nkosi Sikelel’ … melody.
It still feels courageous today and gives me goosebumps every time I listen to it. The song speaks to universal themes: a mix of sorrow, hope and determination that right will overcome.
For me, it’s the ultimate South African tune.
Kneo Mokgopa – project manager
Definitely Stimela by Bra Hugh Masekela.
It speaks to the core of the political, economic and social realities that built this country.
Sarah-Jane Viljoen – head of project management
Never before and never since has a song totally embodied the swag of South Africans. No song can hype up a crowd like this one.
Lizette Sutherland – senior UX/UI designer
This song makes me sad and happy in equal amounts. It was written as a call for Nelson Mandela’s release and also paid homage to three martyrs of the anti-apartheid struggle: Steve Biko, Victoria Mxenge and Neil Aggett.
To me, it encompasses the joy and tears of being African and belonging to a nation that fought for its rights and gave up so much in the struggle but at the same time gained so much.
Richard Frank – chief technology officer
I know it’s quite cheesy but ...
World in Union – the Ladysmith Black Mambazo and PJ Powers version.
It reminds me of the 1995 Rugby World Cup final, Madiba in his Springbok shirt and the Boks winning, of course ... Whenever I hear this song it takes me back to that exact day and the hope of a “new age” that the whole country was desperate for.
Melanie Feris – social media manager and content producer
It’s on repeat on every road trip home and is the first track I play the moment I land back in South Africa. This song is the feeling of home.
And it’s not just about a place, it’s about connection:
- The street where neighbours greet you by name
- The comfort of Sunday lunch and family braais
- The noise of taxis calling their clients, late-night parties on a Saturday and church bells on Sunday morning
- The memories of growing up, of parents and family, of a community that walked the same struggles and joys together
Every note of this song takes me back there – to belonging, to the roots that hold me, to home.
Edwina van der Burg – head of content
The song that feels like my alternative South African anthem is We Love This Place by TKZee. For me, it marks the start of summer, when the air feels lighter and everything seems possible.
Every time I hear it, I’m instantly transported back to 1998, when my whole life was on the brink of change. I was about to become a mother for the first time, and those months were bathed in the glow of new beginnings in a place I love. The song captures that spirit perfectly: a mix of joy, energy and hope.
It’s amazing how music can hold memories, how a beat can carry you straight back to a moment when everything felt open and alive.
Daya Coetzee – account director
Impi by Johnny Clegg and Juluka.
Every time I hear this song I’m transported back to when I was 10 years old at the Wits Free People’s Concerts with my dad and our friends. I have such a strong memory of being among a diverse crowd of people dancing and singing along in unison – this seemed so normal and the way it should be.
Circa 1984, 10 years before South Africa became a free country, these concerts were one of the few places where people of all races, nationalities and religions could gather in unity, fun and celebration – with an unmistakable underlying theme of defiance against the apartheid regime. Impi encapsulates the energy of South Africa – our warrior spirit and resilience.
Gail Tanner – head of project management
Mzansi Youth Choir: Say Africa.
I don’t know why, but this song just makes me cry whenever I hear it – in a good way. I just love it.