Boss Zonke of Kotini

Shwa and the rest of the nation was saddened by the shocking news of the untimely death of award-winning rapper Riky Rick. But let us not dwell on the sad stuff.

Shwa must admit that though his music was spectacular, his fashion sense was on another level it was impeccable.

Even though many did not quite understand the kind of style that he had, the inspiration behind it, the Ungazncishi hitmaker prided himself as the Boss Zonke of Kotini.

Makhado fused both fashion and music; he became so much of a trendsetter that he claimed the name of King Kotini.

When it came to “ukudla ukotini” fashion sense, he always managed to get people talking, and not only was he an influential fashionista, he was also a model, as we would often see him on the fashion ramps rocking some designer garments.

In 2018, when he was a guest on the SABC1 music show Live AMP, he shocked many as he wore a skirt and cardigan by Maxhosa Africa. Though many never understood why he would do that as a male, for him it was all about being unique and different in his taste for fashion.

From there it has been very clear that Maxhosa Africa was close to his heart and one of his favourite brands to wear.

We also saw in 2020, when he celebrated his partnership with the brand and was featured in the SS21 collection. Still in 2018, at the South African Music Awards, he wore an exquisite outfit that included an orange mask, which people mistakenly thought was an orange sack.


As a fashion killer, King of Kotini graced the covers of both GQ South Africa 2017 and GQ style 2020, where he killed the Maxhosa Africa brand in style. Makhado’s love for kotini goes way back and one of the most memorable moments was when he got to meet his fashion icon Tommy Hilfiger in 2019, and for him that was dope and a dream come true.

Boss Zonke made sure that he stood out from the crowd. Nobody came close to his level with the outfits that he would rock up in at events and functions.

In 2020, at the Black Coffee Luncheon that everyone who matters in South Africa’s pop culture attended, we saw Cassper Nyovest pictured next to Riky Rick and Stogie T, something only Black Coffee could pull off. Riky Ricky made sure that he looked narse, classy and elegant.

Makhado showed how versatile he was with music and fashion. When he was featured on Big Zulu’s Imali Eningi, we saw him rocking the nkabi nation outfit worn by taxi drivers, and he made sure he killed the part with his Brentwood.

His slick fashion sense is also seen through his adorable family. If you look at family photos they shared on social media when they went on trips, you can see he was also a loving father and a husband. Long live Boss Zonke: akanandaba, unehaba, KwaMashu nase
Mlazi, umswenko bayamazi.

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