Meet Nathi, the newcomer who swept the 2016 South Africa Music Awards (SAMA).

“Nathi is the next rags to riches story in the South African music industry” and the story continues. The Afro pop sensation Nathi Mankanyi, thanks to his platinum selling album Buyelekhaya, emerged as the king of The South African Music Awards which were hosted in Durban for the first time over the weekend.Nathi walked away with five awards at #SAMA22 at the Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre – for Best R&B/Soul/Reggae Album, Best Newcomer, Best Male Artist, Bestselling Full-Track Music Download (for his monster hit Nomvula) and Bestselling Album of the Year.
Throughout Nathi’s trial and tribulations, he found four magic letters that describes his music, L.O.V.E, Nathi claims that these four letters have no season nor have they age group limitation.
He explains the joys of growing up with his five siblings and mom, Nothembile Mankayi, who raised them single-handedly. “She woke up every morning to sell fruit in town to feed the whole family. ”
Mankayi hails from a small town, Maclear, in the Eastern Cape, near the Mooi River. He describes his home town as a small village with unseen talent that lead many of the youth to substance abuse. Although this was not up his alley, he landed himself in a whole lot of trouble.
His dreams of going to an arts school were shattered in 2002 when he and a couple of friends robbed a person in his township. They were all arrested after the victim recognised one of the culprits and pointed them out to the police. He was held at Maclear police station where he and his friends managed to escape. After escaping from the holding cells he ran to Jozi but decided in 2003 to hand himself over. In 2006 after awaiting trial he was sentenced to eight years imprisonment, four years suspended.
Mankayi says he knew from age 10 that he would be a singer. The musician, who is also a painter and a sculptor, says he managed to teach himself these skills and loves making beautiful things using his hands.
Nathi was overwhelmed at his clean sweep at the SAMAs and thanked his fans for their support Nathi’s award cabinet is overflowing. The SAMAs were adding to the Song of the Year Award and Best African pop Album Buyelekhaya earlier this year at the 2016 Metro FM awards. 2015/2016 is definitely Nathi Mankayi’s year having also received the SABC SUMMER HIT song, voted for by 19 SABC stations.