Muneyi: A Decade Of Storytelling And Musical Integrity Pays Off

For years, Muneyis music has felt like a quiet promise. If you were listening closely, you could hear it in the tenderness of his lyrics, in the way he carried his Venda heritage without flinching, in the softness he refused to hide.

But now, after nearly a decade of slow-burning releases, performances, collaborations and prayerful patience, that promise has bloomed.

The 2024 Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Music went to Muneyi and, in many ways, it couldnt have gone to anyone more deserving.

The award, which has recognised some of South Africas most daring creative voices, felt like a belated acknowledgement of what many fans already knew Muneyi is one of the most spiritually grounded, emotionally intelligent and musically generous artists of his generation.

When Muneyi learned he had won, he was surrounded by friends at the Cape Town Art Fair but he couldnt tell a soul.