Zonke Dikana, known by her stage name Zonke, born on October 11, 1979, is a popular South African singer and songwriter. She gained fame in 2011 with the release of her third album, Ina Ethe, which went double platinum and received a nomination at the 18th South African Music Awards. Following this success, she released Give and Take Live in 2013, which quickly went gold and landed her on the Channel O list of “Africa’s Top 10 Female Singing Sensations”.
Profile Summary
| Full Name: | Zonke Dikana |
| Date Of Birth: | October 11, 1979 |
| Place Of Birth: | KwaZakhele, Port Elizabeth, Eastern Cape South Africa |
| Nationality: | South African |
| Spouse: | Tumi Mokoena |
| Occupation(s): | Singer, Songwriter, Record Producer, DJ |
| Labels: | Sony |
| Net Worth: | $550,000 |
Early Life And Education
Hailing from KwaZakhele in the Eastern Cape of South Africa, Zonke was exposed to music from an early age due to her father’s involvement as a drummer in the group Black Slave and the Flamingo.
Her stepmother, the late Anneline Malebo, added to the musical influence as a singer in the band Joy. Zonke pursued her education at the University of the Free State, earning a degree in human resource management in 1997.
Career
Zonke’s music career began with collaborations with artists like Ringo and Joe Nina. Her breakthrough moment came when she wrote a song for the band Jazzkantine, leading to the formation of Culture Clan with rappers Mandla and Mzo.
Culture Clan’s album “Africa” won awards in Germany, garnering recognition from Channel O and Metro FM Music Awards. Zonke then released her solo albums “Soulitary” and “Life, Love ‘n Music” with success in Germany, Japan, and Italy.
In 2011, she signed with TMP Records and created her third album “Ina Ethe”, which went double platinum. Zonke’s live album “Give and Take Live”, released by Sony Music Entertainment in 2013, achieved gold status and won awards at the South African Music Awards.
After losing her sister Lulu Dikana, Zonke poured her emotions into her fourth album, Work of Heart, featuring singles “Reach It” and “Meet Me in My Dreams”. Inspired by personal experiences, the album was released in September 2015 by Sony Music Entertainment. Work of Heart earned multiple award nominations and went platinum in July 2016.
Her seventh album, L.O.V.E, released in June 2018, included the platinum-selling single “Tonight” and won Best R&B/Soul Album at the 2019 South African Afro Music Awards.
Zonke kicked off her concert series, Zonke: The Evergreen In Concert, on February 19th at the Grand Arena, GrandWest in Cape Town. The tour included 10 dates and concluded on February 29th.
Her single “Lady” was released in October 2021 as the lead single for her upcoming album.
Zonke announced on April 22, 2022, that her new album, Enigma, was completed and set to be released on May 27th.
Teasing fans with the artwork, she revealed her second single “Oko” on April 26 via Facebook. The song topped the charts upon its release on April 29, 2022.
Her studio album Embo was launched on November 3, 2023. To support the album, Zonke announced a national tour starting April 29th at the Grand Arena in Cape Town.
Personal Life
Zonke Dikana is married to Tumi Mokoena. She’s has two children, Noah and Milani age
Zonke Net Worth
Zonke’s impressive net worth is estimated to be $550,000, a testament to her successful music career and multiple achievements in the industry.
Discography
Some popular songs by Zonke include:
- Feelings
- Say Now
- Reach It
- Jik’izinto
- Ina Ethe
- NdiliMpondo
- Nameless
- Viva the Legend
- S.O.S.
- Soul to Keep (feat. Kwesta)
