By Palesa Ndinisa
Tumelo Matlala, (41) from Duduza, an actor and singer who has worked in the entertainment industry for seventeen (17) years recently released his third single titled ‘Isizwe Siyashweleza’ on the 5th of September 2025.
Proving that talent is best accompanied with hard work, dedication and skills, Matlala holds a National Certificate in Drama which he acquired from Star Quality Creative Arts College. Under his belt, the free spirited man is a voice over artist who has been casted on iconic television shows like Isitha, where he played the role of Nhlanhla Mazibuko, Durban Gen, playing Dr. Skhumbuzo Khumalo, Youngins, under the character of Sello Dibakwane and Generations The Legacy, where he played Detective Roberts among other characters. In addition, Matlala is a former content director for SABC 1’s Nyan Nyan and Kulcha Kwest, as well as SABC 2’s Speak Out. In the past year, the zealous gentleman was a presenter on Moja Love’s ‘uWrong’- which is a reality show that investigates and resolves stories of people who have been wronged by others in their families or communities, often focusing on disputes over finances or the misuse of grants. Currently, Matlala is a presenter on ‘No Excuses Pay Papgeld’- a reality show that helps mothers and children track absent fathers who refuse to pay child maintenance airing on DSTV’s channel 157, Moja Love.
Being a firm believer in Christ, gospel gravitated naturally towards the creative. “It all started when I was serving at church. I discovered my calling and never looked back. It’s been an incredible journey of ups and downs but through it all I kept on pushing. I released my first album titled ‘Mzwalwane’ in 2008. I then released another album titled ‘Blessed Generations’ in 2015, ‘From a Heart of Man to God’ in 2019 and a single titled ‘Uyithetha Into Iyenzeke’ in 2021. This current single is slightly different because it derives from a genre called ‘folk’. I had to have my views expressed on the issue of the GBV+F pandemic. God gave me a reason to write this song. I have over ten (10) years experience as a producer for shows like Nyan’Nyan and almost every episode had GBV+F on it. This disturbed me and now that I’m a presenter on Moja Love for No Excuses Pay Papgeld, I still see same problem almost in every second episode. GBV+F is crisis we have, hence I saw a need to speak out as a man and fight this pandemic” added Matlala.
The star confessed that a budget was a huge hurdle in producing this single as he is an independent artist. “My name is Tumelo, which means faith, so I believe success comes through faith. You are what you believe and confess through your mouth. I pray that my music inspires someone to keep believing for better,” gracefully attested Matlala.
In the process of producing this recent song, the singer worked with music moguls like Ginuas ‘Maziya’ Sibeko and Nicom Muza.
Isizwe Siyashweleza is now out on all major online music platforms like Apple Music, Spotify and SoundCloud.
