Before Destiny’s Child, there was Dalom Kids, and Umdala Joshua Nkomo was heard asking: “Kanti ngobani lama-Dalom Kids?”. On 14 August 1995, the album Izindunduma came out, and thirty years later, I have an exclusive chat with the notoriously private former Dalom Kids lead singer Jacqueline Rotwana (Johannesburg, 1973) who has finally gone solo with a tribute to Bulawayo.
My new book Thole likaMthwakazi is due 27 November 2025.
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Everywhere I go, Matabeleland people want to hear: “Babengazi obaba nomama ukuthi eGoli kunezindunduma”.
Primary School: Mgijima Primary School, Alice, SA; and Sipho Hashe Combined School, Gqeberha (Port Elizabeth), SA
Secondary School: Sekano-Ntoane Secondary School, Johannesburg, SA
The Bulawayo of…
People don’t know but we were actually banned from performing at Barbour Fields Stadium (At the height of Dalom Kids in 1995, they filled up BF Stadium and are probably the only music act to have ever done that with over 15,000 revelers – SJ). Highlanders Football Club had a match days after, and the pitch was left in ruins needing repairs! Kwamosheka utshani ngoba abantu bashiya amadindi. We moved the shows to White City Stadium and after we moved to the Khumalo Hockey Stadium (The rowdiness in my ‘hood Njube’s O-Square White City Stadium of revelers without tickets trying to breach the venue and robberies was much publicised – SJ). Then we moved to the Large City Hall – joh, kuningi ko-Bulawayo – we performed everywhere in the city.
The Joshua Nkomo of…
I have always bragged that I met him in person as he came to attend our shows, which is a privilege for the few.
The Izindunduma of…
My new manager Malackean Gwayi has told me that I cannot avoid it. Everywhere I go, Matabeleland people want to hear: “Babengazi obaba nomama ukuthi eGoli kunezindunduma”.
SJ: We play that record every Sunday in my neighbourhood e-Njube without fail, and also the track ‘I’m An African’.
We were recently doing community outreach, giving donations in Yoeville, Johannesburg and immediately the people burst singing, “Sanibona, sanibona, sanibona, ninjani nisaphila”.
The New Management of…
I kept running into Malackean over and over, and he introduced himself as Freddy Gwala’s manager. I told him, “Mina no-Madamara sibuya kude ko-Bulawayo promoting Ingwebu!”. Eventually he convinced me to get into the studio.
The New Song ‘Asibambaneni’ of…
I changed the song many times. This is a tribute to the legends and Bulawayo as the chorus says. I wanted it to be perfect. If you look at all the people who have passed on, I want to remember them in a happy way. I wanted to find my voice: Ngiwahambile amazwe, sehla senyuka izintaba, siwela imifula – ngothando lomculo. Ma ngibheka emuva, esasihamba nabo, asebawushiya lomhlaba, abalale ngoxolo. Singene e-Botswana, sa-jayiva sadlula, saya e-Namibia, sangena e-Tsholotsho sawamisa amapantsula ba-jayiva, phinde sathi-BYO! Initially it had been too much of a sad song. The stage is a happy place and that is how I want to remember everyone and everything.
The Solo Career of…
I have been under pressure for a long time to go solo. Abantu ma bebuza bengibatshela ukuthi angikaku-feeli. I wasn’t feeling it. Instead, I joined Thuthukani Cele to back up their Lucky Dube Tribute Tours all over the world. (Since 1983, Ras Thuthukani Cele is the longest serving member of The Lucky Dube Band – SJ). I was always away from home and toured overseas, in places I could never have imagined going to with the Dalom sound. A close friend of mine Mam’ Sista Phumi Maduna would say, “Nombulelo, phela wena awuyona i-backing vocalist!”. Nombulelo is my traditional Xhosa homeland name.
I was famous as a lead but could also do backing vocals for others famous like me. There are few singers who can do that. The late Brenda Fassie was Brenda. Yvonne Chaka Chaka is Yvonne. I could be me with Dalom Kids and then back up for the late Penuel Kunene as he led Matshikos for example.
SJ: …konke lo-Thabile Mazolwana le-Peacock: “Ngiyakuthanda, thanda dali…”
(laughs) Wena uyaz: “Oh, oh, oh, oh”. Yazin’, I would do that at the back and be completely happy. So that is why in my new song ‘Ithuba’, I thank Mam’ Maduna because she has always wanted me to record as she was friends with Patricia Majalisa and knew me from back then.
If you look at the Dalom stable album art covers: the first Splash album Peacock, u-Dan Tshanda is gone, Penwell Kunene, Joseph Tshimange, later Splash members Albert Pinkie Piliso and Israel Mohlanke, all of them are gone. Take any Patricia Majalisa cover, she is gone. Take Peacock covers: Thabile Mazolwana and Mpendulo Dandile, they are gone. Maxwell and Kelly who featured in the Madlebe album, they are gone (The Dalom Kids 1998 album with ‘Ngiyabonga’ where Bonisile Ndlovu emerged and Petronella Rampou was noticeably absent. Petronella would return the following year in the album Celebrate which contained the hit ‘Keneilwe’ – SJ). The public doesn’t understand how it feels like to have lost all these people that you have worked with. I needed time to find me. I had to take a step back because people would request songs and each would remind me of one of those people who are no more.
Now I am back to disco music!
The IsiNdebele of…
I adapt to languages. Ngiyasazi IsiNdebele sako-Bulawayo. People get surprised because I can switch from Venda to Zulu to Setswana, and then my native Xhosa, and all of these languages we found them in Zimbabwe as well (We literally had this conversation in all those languages – SJ).
The Child of…
My father is from Herchel, and my mother is from Komani (Queenstown), both in the Eastern Cape. They migrated to Johannesburg where I was born in Soweto’s Senaoane Township near Dan Tshanda’s neighborhood of Chiawelo.
Kusese yi-Kids kodwa? Ses’gugile.
The Dalom Kids of…
Kusese yi-Kids kodwa? Ses’gugile. People refuse to call us adults and with my short height it doesn’t help. I try to tell people that the group has new members now, but they don’t care. I was discovered by the late Patricia Majalisa. She saw me in the ‘hood and back then there were many Afro-soul groups to remind people of home since everyone was a migrant in Johannesburg. I happened to have been singing along at Patrick Mthimkhulu’s show, and since Patricia was married to Dan Tshada at the time, she snapped me up in 1988. They were happy with my audition that followed. I was 15.
The late Petronella Rampou and I were selected. We could sing but essentially for us we were there to play and have fun. Dan complained that we were not serious and booked the late Deborah Fraser to back up his upcoming shows instead. During rehearsals, Deborah was a consummate professional and we realised that we would lose out, and so we decided to dance! We “won”. Dan was not a producer then, but Hamilton Nzimande was instead.
SJ: Hayi suka Sis’ Jacqueline! I never realised… (Nzimande was the Berry Gordy of South Africa, the prolific producer of Soul Brothers, and singer of Zimbabwe Radio 2’s Inhlupho Zalamuhla theme song ‘Lithi Lingashona’ – SJ).
Yes, check the early sleeves. Ubaba u-Nzimande, was related to Freddie Gwala, they all came from a musical family. Penwell and Patricia were our coaches, and we would do cover songs as curtain raisers. Gallo Records had an engineer Dave Seagal who reported to the label (Then known as Gallo-GRC after Gallo acquired GRC, and exited Zimbabwe in 1985 due to the international sanctions on apartheid South Africa, having opened Gallo Bulawayo in 1951-1982. Like Highlanders F.C., Gallo turns 100-years-old in 2026 – SJ) that he had come across “these kids who sang so beautifully”.
Jacqueline’s new EP, Ithuba is out now on streaming platforms. Catch Part II on The Republic of Jacqueline Rotwana here.
Interview date: 25 July 2025
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Cite this article: Jermain, S. (2025, August 5). The Republic of. . . Dalom Kids’ Jacqueline Rotwana. Sonny Jermain Online. https://sonnyjermain.com/the-republic-of-dalom-kids-jacqueline-rotwana/
In-text: Parenthical – (Jermain, 2025); or Narrative – Jermain (2025).
