Create, Combine, Conquer

Nandi and Zakes Madida are so much more than a celebrity power couple, they are leading the wave of African artists who are expanding their role in the industry, opening doors for others and leaving their mark for generations to come.

- Yolisa Mjamba

My wife,” the phrase grabs my attention every time Zakes says it – which is often. The words stand out, not only because of the frequency, but the encompassing delivery with which they are uttered, as if for the first time by a newlywed. And yet, as a couple, he and Nandi exude the ease and comfortability that one would expect after half a decade together, contrasting and complementing each other’s personalities with every turn of the conversation.

Nandi, who comes from the suburbs of La Lucia in Durban North, is like a burst of energy; personable, chatty and a larger-than-life personality that eclipses her mere 152cm height. Her other half, Zakes, was born and raised in KwaMashu township, not too far in location from where Nandi grew up, but certainly in environment. He’s calmly eloquent, seeming to enjoy taking the backseat in conversations, but more than rising to the occasion when called upon. “They’re like best friends, always laughing and just fun to be around,” says Glamour’s fashion director, David Lerouw Lascurain, after spending the day with them on set. “You can just tell how in love they are, yet they also don’t feel the need to flash it in anyone’s face or prove anything.” Not proving anything to anyone is seemingly a mantra for the Madidas. “You set a tone from the beginning, and I think, if anything, everyone knows that what people say or do doesn’t affect us,” says Nandi. “Look at couples like David and Victoria Beckham or Jada and Will Smith, people say all sorts of things about them, but ultimately their words have no power. What people say is just laughable to us because we know our truth.”