Thank you for this opportunity to present a narrative of an iconic South African legacy that has not yet been told and that is the exciting new feature film Urban Zulu : The Busi Mhlongo Story.

The Story of Mam Busi Mhlongo is more than a musical and biographical documentary of a vocalist who against all odds chartered a legendary path from semi-rural KZN roots to the top of the world charts. This is the documentary of a trail blazing woman changing the playing fields for generations to come. As we near what would have been her 80th birthday on October 27th 2027, the need to shine a light on this powerful international legacy is gaining significant momentum for her distinctly KZN legacy.

My name is Struan Douglas, an author and musician from Durban. To work on such a project is an honour as everything Busi touches turns to gold. This can be clearly evidenced by the extraordinary careers of her many musical children, from Thandiswa Mazwai to Black Coffee and Nduduzo Makhatini, plus current and future generation female band leaders such as Thandi Ntuli, Siya Makuzeni and Neahtyah Mbuyazwe who take power and direction from her legacy. The project has significant impact too because like the legends before her Solomon Linda, Mahlatini Simon Nkabinde, Dolly Rathebe and Thandi Klaasens; Busi died with little or no access to her music rights.

Having worked as an investigative journalist into the historical legacy practices I am passionate about education in music business practices. The restoration Busi’s legacy brings a healing power to the South African music rights historical inequality legacy, just like the formation of the Miriam Makeba Family Trust was in ‘94. Having lived 16 years in exile in Portugal, London, Toronto and the Netherlands, Mam Busi has created a large and distinguished network of trustees from her family homestead in Inanda to her record label and testimonial trust in Durban and her former colleagues and co-production partners in the Netherlands and her family and relatives of KZN.

Busi is a pioneer in a musical genre known as world music, a combination of travel and music. My first encounter with Busi was in 1994 at the Awesome Africa festival. The deep Zulu roots, the stirring Shembe invocations together with the driving funk and Pan African rhythms of her performance broadened my horizons. And as a widely collaborative artist, Busi’s career touched meaningfully on a whole generation of great Zulu musicians from Princess Magogo to Bheki Mseleku, Madala Kunene, Doc Mthalane and Mshaks Gaza. This story has the potential to open the eyes and ears, hearts and minds of audiences to the vibrant and diverse music and film culture of KwaZulu Natal. Using the horizontal approach of collaboration and agency in the film making process for collaborators, co-operators and competitors alike, with the goal of making a profound impact in the lives of future creatives.

“Going to a Busi concert was like being branded. It was like a ring of fire that was placed on your forehead or your butt or wherever. But you came away burnt. You were branded. You'd seen that concert. You'd been in that moment.” Giselle Turner

Urban Zulu is an internationally resonant theme of a trail blazing woman, overcoming racism of apartheid, patriarchy in the music industry and personal struggles to become an international sound sensation. Despite the stringent patriarchy of the old South Africa, Busi breaks barriers for African female band leaders. The impact of elevating such a pioneering female voice onto screen is a powerful reconnection of young people with their heritage. The story resonates widely not only with the youth of her region, the Ngoma groups of Kwa Zulu Natal, the youth centres of Inanda and scholars of her Ohlange High School, but everyone with an interest in “transcendence.” Transcendence is change. Change of one-self, change for audiences and ultimately change to the socio-political constructs that depressed and oppressed generations. This film project completed Development phase during 2025 and is currently in pre-production. A great deal of thanks to Vusi Mchunu, co-originator of this project, Rehad Desai, director of the project, Steve Dyer composer, the NFVF documentary and festival and markets teams, the Movies that Matter and Durban Film Mart teams, Katja Draaijer of Submarine, Dutch director Ton van der Lee. Gratitude to family and friends, Leoni Jansen, Sifiso Khumalo, Madala Kunene, Letta Mbulu. Busi’s life’s work and legacy had never been significantly memorialised, until this moment. Busi’s life stands as a testimony to women’s rights, breast cancer awareness, and a female band leader. Her story connects to broader global issues of Black Woman Power and unleashing our creative expression and is a soundtrack to the miracle peaceful transformation of South Africa.

With thanks

Struan Douglas