LISAKHANYA NDWAYI
Mthatha-born artist and songwriter Sivuyile Dingo, famously known as Mr Dingo, promises to set the mood at the Buffalo City Beach Festival with his new sound, East Afro Maskhandi, which he pioneered in the Eastern Cape.
The festival, presented by Man B Music Entertainment will take place at the Orient Beach Poolside, Quigney, on December 13.
Dingo, who has been touted as the next Black Coffee, will perform alongside some South Africa’s top musicians including Emtee, Naak Musiq, Zakwe and Betusile, among others.
At 35, the physically impaired artist – he was hit by a car while driving in Mthatha in 2021 and lost his right leg — released his latest single, Ama Hit, on October 3, a track he told the GO! would “light up dance floors and lift spirits at the festival”.
This will be his first performance in the city.
Dingo who has since been performing in places like Ballito in KwaZulu-Natal said local fans can expect to hear his most popular tracks, including Ama Million, Ballito, and Ama Hit.
“There will be major artists who are going to get the crowd moving. It’s going to be amazing, I’m thrilled to be among those introducing a fresh sound to the people of East London,” he said.
He said that Ama Hit was all about encouraging hard work and creativity among artists.
“It’s about making good music and motivating others not to be lazy when writing or producing. We must keep creating hit songs,” said Dingo.
Dingo said the track stood out for its distinctive mix of Afro soul and reggae.
Despite the pain and trauma of losing a limb, his career rises. Ballito, released earlier this year, had 522,000 plays on YouTube Music and 230,505 streams on Spotify. His videos go viral on TikTok.
He has a monthly listenership of 12,200 on Spotify.
He says he set out to be a general entrepreneur, but after the accident, he decided to look for a new purpose through music production.
“What started as a hobby eventually turned into a calling. I realised how much music meant to me — it became my way of expressing myself and staying positive.”
With his fresh sound, resilience, and growing fan base, Dingo is ready to make the Buffalo City beach festival an unforgettable celebration of local talent and creative spirit.
