By: Saneliso Mlambo
After defending his performance of Hugh Masekela’s song Chileshe, rapper ZuluBoy is once again facing criticism from South Africans. This time, the backlash followed a preview of his upcoming album, with many social media users saying they would not support his new music after disagreeing with his earlier comments on African unity and immigration.
The latest criticism comes just weeks after ZuluBoy, whose real name is Mxolisi Majozi, defended his decision to perform Chileshe. In the song, Hugh Masekela sings, “Don’t call them foreigners; they too are a people.” ZuluBoy said he shared the song to echo Masekela’s message of African unity and to encourage South Africans not to turn against fellow Africans.
His comments divided opinion online. Some South Africans accused the rapper of defending illegal immigration and claimed he was ignoring concerns about crime, unemployment and undocumented migrants. Others argued that his message was about unity and should not be interpreted as support for illegal immigration. There is no evidence that ZuluBoy explicitly endorsed illegal immigration; his public statements focused on African solidarity while also calling for action against crime and corruption.
The debate resurfaced after ZuluBoy shared a preview of music from his upcoming album. The teaser quickly attracted negative reactions on social media, with some users describing the music as “trash” and saying they would not stream or support the project because of the artist’s previous stance.
The criticism reflects public reaction on social media and does not necessarily represent the views of the broader South African public. At the time of publication, ZuluBoy has not publicly responded to the latest backlash over the album preview.