South Africa is a culturally predictable country. One needs only to have a look at the Sama winners for Biggest Selling Album over the years to realise this. Two years ago, Afrikaans artist Steve Hofmeyr won the award.
The following year it was Afro- pop group Malaika. This year, the album that is selling hugely comes from a maskandi band called Shwi noMtekhala. They are already on 310 000 units. The album is Wangisiza Baba.
Why this is even more remarkable is that maskandi is Zulu traditional guitar music, a genre that is considered very rural and "unhip" by the hip cool city dwellers. It is perceived to be only for listeners of Ukhozi FM and taxi drivers.
But, with the release of this album, Shwi noMtekhala is a must-have in every music collection.
So I set out to find out exactly who is behind Shwi noMtekhala and why and how the duo catapulted maskandi into the realms of 21st century cool.
First off, they are accompanied by a translator because Shwi and Mtekhala cannot speak English.
They met as children growing up in KZN's Msinga district. I discover from Shwi that his father passed on when he was young and because he had to look after the cattle, he didn't go to school. Mtekhala reached standard one before the war broke out in that region. His father was killed as a result of it and he had to flee the area.
In the late '80s, when they were in their late teens, they moved up to Jozi in search of work. They used to dance and write music for different isicathimiaya groups including Hlanganani which still exists. Hlanganani released through Gallo Music before moving to Bula Music. Their second release through Bula is called Baba no Mama.
Shwi noMtekhala are also signed with Bula music. Their first album was Dustbin which is now on its way to gold.
Before moving to Bula they were signed to Gallo - and I am interested to know how well they did at that record company.
The pair look at each other and shrug. The translator tells me that the group never saw actual sales figures. Instead they would try and estimate how many CDs they sold by the amount of royalties they were paid by Gallo.
In 1999, Mtekhala suggested to Shwi that because they could play the guitar and sing and they knew how to write their own music, they should form their own group. Six years later Shwi noMtekhala are the number one selling group in SA.
But what makes this album different to that of Ihashi Elimhlope and other maskandi artists?
Again another long explanation ensues. "We produced our own album," explains the translator. "But we wanted it to be for everyone, not just the maskandi fans, hence we've added jazz and gospel. It has universal appeal."
So what are they doing with their new-found fame and fortunes? I am surprised to hear that they still live in the same hostels in Khatlehong as they did when they arrived in 1987. "It's important for a Zulu man to stay there so they can be found easily by friends and family. Gauteng is a big place. We need to live in a landmark area. People from KZN know where the hostels are."
The translator can see that I'm still a bit puzzled. "You live in Melville, Johannesburg and party here and your friends are here," says the translator. "Now, if you won a whole lotta money would you want to move to the northern suburbs?" Hell, no! I'd get so bored. Okay, okay, I get it.
But, still - no plans to buy big expensive cars á la the kwaito cats? These traditional Zulu men say no. Instead, they are planning to build houses in Msinga where Shwi has two wives and three kids and Mtekhala has three wives and 13 children.
"We love succeeding. But, culturally we are strong Zulus. We can never leave our roots."