Ibutho Imbumba is a passionate music group from Merafong, based in Wedela Township. The group consists of four members: Sanele Shabalala (Brutus Pablo), Owen Nomtoto (Star Oag), Nkuthalo Blessings Gcayiya (Baby Boy Wonder), and Themba Mukhari (Igo Flex Sterling).

Their journey began in 2024, which was the year the founder and leader, Brutus Pablo, formed the group with his colleagues. Ibutho is a Zulu word that describes being together, holding it together. It is also considered Brutus Pablo’s brand. Imbumba is the combination of artists musically in terms of songwriting and stage performances.

The founder began his music career while he was still in church choirs, as well as primary and high school choirs, which he led most of the time. That is when he began his music career. The other members also began their musical journeys under different circumstances.

They crafted a sound where they fuse Hip Hop and Afro Pop, as they were inspired by Soul Brothers, Teargas, Liquid Deep, Mahotella Queens, the legendary Ladysmith Black Mambazo, and The Qweller’s. They released an EP that consists of five tracks after people demanded their music as solo artists, and they decided to venture into a collaboration due to the positive response from the community.

The members have written many tracks and decided to name their recent project Impi Yo Thando, which is a Zulu phrase that describes love issues. They have been performing at clubs and festivals and have also appeared on major media shows such as SABC 1’s Expression, which is how they market their music.

The group was nominated for the MAMA Awards with one song, WOAH, under the category of Best Upcoming Artists, and at the SAUMA Awards, where Sondela received two nominations for Best Produced and Best Afro Pop. Sondela and Nomathemba are the new songs that have been dominating the streets since their recent release.

The project was mixed and mastered by the well-known Kamohelo Monese, known as Jazzwrld. They have been doing radio tours and school tours to market their music, with the school tours more focused on the West Rand. The radio tours took place in different provinces such as Gauteng, North West, Mpumalanga, KwaZulu-Natal, and the Free State.

They have also been featured on TRACE Africa and Sipho Magosa documentaries, and they have gained recognition from the likes of Aubrey Qwana, Oskido, DJ Tira, DJ Fresh, Black Coffee, and Big Zulu.

They formed the group in order to explore different genres by venturing together to give different results of sound that can be recognised as the Imbumba Wave. They can be contacted via email at [email protected] and on all social media platforms as Ibutho Imbumba.