Zolani Mahola

A Fleur Du Cap Award-winning actress and South African Music Award winner, Zolani Mahola spent 17 years as lead singer of Freshlyground, performing at Carnegie Hall and alongside legends like Stevie Wonder and Yo-Yo Ma. Yet beneath the acclaim lay deep trauma and a woman losing herself in the role of national icon. In 2019, after leaving the band, Zolani heard ancestral voices calling her to the water. Though most of her amaXhosa clan do not swim, she learned to freedive – an act of courage that became a profound spiritual and creative rebirth, reconnecting her to her Xhosa heritage and unlocking a new artistic voice rooted in healing and the natural world.