Dj Zinhle is a popular South African female DJ and actress and is honored to be the first female disk jockey to release a Mzansi compilation. She is one of the greatest people in sports when it comes to those who came from Africa.
Although she wanted to have a TV career she ultimately became one of the best South African DJs.
Early years
She was born as Ntombezinhle Jiyane on December 30, 1983, in Dannhauser in South Africa. She said that she has always been very skeptical about how the world media is going to react to her name, but in the end she decided to change it.
She grew up alongside her sibling’s brother Zak and sister Gugu. She said that one of the many things that she learned growing up beside them is that people need to help each other and always be there for each other.
She was named by her father and her name has a great meaning. It means a beautiful girl. She is very close to her loving mother called Jabu Jiyane. She said that she was always her role model and that no one will ever be close to her like she is.
She wasn’t especially interested in music at her young age until she started helping her brother who was in the music business. His name was Zak and he was a passionate listener of music.
He developed his career in that way by creating a company that rented some equipment to the musician. He was a passionate mixer and always mixed pieces of vinyl while he was at home, in his free time. She said that she is proud of him because he made the best of what he has and knows.
This made an impact on Zrinhle although she wasn’t aware of how strongly she has been influenced by music. She said that one of the greatest things that have happened to her are the talents that she has and she is very thankful for them.
She started mixing herself, for her own pleasure and her brother encouraged her to do it. She often helped her brother setting up his music equipment on various events and that was the starting point of her career.
One night she was helping out her brother Zak to set his equipment and the hired DJ was late so her brother told her to mix until the DJ shows.
She was very good and gained positive critics for her work that night. In 2004, when she was 19 yeara old, she started doing her own pieces of vinyl mixes although she later turned to CD mixing. She became known for ber great combining of bot at the same time.
She started getting gigs as a DJ throughout South Africa but its when she started being invited to London that she knew that her career took a serious path.
In 2006, she made her big breakthrough with her performance on Jika Majika youth shoe which aired on SABC and it soon brought her recognition.
She came to Joburg in 1999 where she started studying TV presenting but when she came back home she realized that it is hard to make a career in that area. In that period she worked as a brand manager.
She became the resident DJ and was doing it for three years, until 2009. After becoming known as a skilled DJ she started getting offers to act in various series. She was very happy about that because she wanted to meet more people in the industry for a long time.
She gained a cameo role in a soap opera titled “Rhythm City”. She was noticed by the public for this role so she was soon offered a role in another drama. Series called “e Kasi: Over Stories”, aired on MTV, it eas in 2011.
In 2012 she became one of the contests on a TV show called “Tropika Island” which aired on Treasure 4 TV channel. Also in 2012 she gained a role in a reality series called “Play Your Part” which aired on SABC1.
In 2009, she partnered with another female celebrity Nomndeni Mdaki with whom she started a DJing academy which was the first academy in South Africa to orient to female DJs. The academy is called FUSE Academy.
She has received a lot of important awards during her career. In 2009 she was nominated for the song of the year. In 2014, she was named to be one of the 10 Most Influential Women in South Africa by Bona Magazine.
It was in the same year that Oprah Winfrey put her on her list of Most Powerful American Women. In 2016 she was voted to be the woman of the Year by Glamour Magazine. She was very proud of this and it was also a great achievement in the sense of a woman like her being on the cover!
In 2017, she collaborated with Chesney Williams, a young designer on her own fashion line. She said that it was too interesting to be involved in all of this and because of that she thought about even making some of these interests her future projects, but she still hasn’t got too much time to fully invest herself into the world of fashion.
She has her own line of watches and jewelry which brings her extra income. At least she figured that she had enough time to do this, instead of just doing her job.
Personal life
As for her personal life, she was in a romantic relationship with AKA. AKA is a popular South African rapper. She said that the media was very critical of this relationship and this was one of the things that drove them crazy.
One of her biggest hits was a single featured by Tomara Dey. It was named “Colours”.
In 2018 she had published her first book, a self-help book titled “Meeting Your Power”. She said that writing this has been therapeutical for her, but she knows that it can help others as well, and that’s what’s the most important thing for her.
In 2019 she had a huge hit titled “Umlilo”. The song was featured by Muzzle.
Her relationship with AKA started in 2012 and was all over the media. Aka is a known South African rapper whom she met at a show in Botswana where she worked as a DJ.
Their romance ended in 2015 after she found out that he is having an affair with Bonang Matheba at the same time. This was a very big plot twist in the world of media and she said that this had hurt her very much and she lost trust in the men around her.
She was pregnant when she found out about him cheating on her and they split only one week before she gave birth to their daughter. The baby gained the name Kairo Qwethu Forbes, after the capital of Egypt. She said that this baby was possibly the best thing that ever happened to her.
Cairo means “the victorious one” in Arabic and Owethu is a Zulu name that her mother chose for her first grandchild. Zinhle was obviously very accepting of that name and she says that she is very thankful for her mother being so invested.
In 2016 she started her relationship with Brendon Naidoo, a good looking South African businessman. She said that she had made some peace with her past and is finally moving on.
They got separated after Brendon made the headlines discovering that he is a fraud who stole a lot of money from returned people. She says that she basically has no luck in finding men whatsoever and that she is one of those women that always give, but never get.
In 2018, Zinhle and AKA started dating again but they kept it a secret for a while. They didn’t want the media to ruin their relationship by putting out rumors that are not true and creating tension for either of the two.
Zinhle is very close to Pearl Thusi and they often hang out. The duo is very powerful and can be seen in various events as well.
She has a big tattoo on her right arm. She says that she would like to get more, but she doesn’t have enough time for that now. She wants to be focused on her career.
Quick summary
Full name: Ntombezinhle Jiyane
Date of birth: December 30, 1983
Birthplace: Dannhauser, South Africa.
Age: 36
Profession: DJ, singer, performer
Height: NA
Weight: NA
Net Worth: $1 million