The hottest DJ on & off the turntables”

This small-town girl has made it big as a house DJ, traveling the world but also helping to develop talent back home

Zinhle Jiyane, aka DJ Zinhle, stepped onto the South African DJ scene at a time when it was still very much of a man’s world. But this talented lady quickly managed to turn some heads with her crazy skills on the turntables. She even grabbed the attention of some of Mzansi’s most respected DJs, such as DJ Oskido, and has today become one of the best female house DJs in SA.


But Zinhle never planned on becoming a DJ. In fact, she only got into it because of chance and circumstance. “My brother Zak owned a company that hired out sound equipment, and he had so much love for music that he would always de-stress through mixing vinyls at home. One day he showed me how mixing works,” says the young lady from Dannhauser in Natal. Her first proper gig happened when she was helping her brother set up for an event. The DJ was late, so Zinhle stepped in and the rest, as they say, is history. Well, not quite... She did, after all, have to break some ground by entering an industry dominated by men.

And so Zinhle got to work, filling in for DJs who couldn’t make it to events. She then entered the “how fresh can you get female DJ challenge” on DJ Fresh’s Breakfast Show, which won her the 22:30 to 23:00 slot every Friday and Saturday on Yfm. But this was only the beginning. Zinhle always knew she wanted to work in entertainment and initially trained to be a TV presenter. It seems she was destined to appear on our screens, despite career change, as she got her second big break with the dance show Jika Majika. Now the talented artist had another platform to showcase her talents and prove she was just as capable as her male counterparts – even more gifted than some of them.

This sista knows all about doing it for herself, never stopping for a second. She’s been a DJ and speaker at the Southern African Music Conference for two years in a row; she was recently nominated by the Mail & Guardian as one of 300 young people "you have to take to lunch" which recognizes young South Africans who are making a difference in their respective careers, she’s also appeared on various TV shows; and she has DJ’d at clubs from Durban to the UK.

Now the lovely lady is trying to help make other young women’s dreams come true with FUSE Academy – a project she is currently working on with a childhood friend, Nomdeni Mdakhi, to develop strong female brands and to give a platform to girls with a dream of becoming DJs. FUSE was established with the vision of creating an academy where females are provided with an opportunity to learn the skill of DJ'ing in an environment specifically tailored for their needs.

FUSE, which is based in the youth capital of Johannesburg, Melville, aims to empower young talented females in becoming DJ’s. It encapsulates the many challenges that females are faced with within the entertainment industry and provides training, mentoring, and tutoring to equip students with the necessary skills and knowledge required to succeed in the entertainment industry.

The Feminine Touch is DJ Zinhle’s brand and is testimony to all that she is. Her permanent slot also called The Feminine Touch, on Oskido’s Church Grooves show on Yfm every Saturday between 16:00 and 16:30 is growing in popularity not just with other females but the male community too.

Oskido says, “DJ Zinhle is very dedicated to what she does. Many people enter the music industry for the wrong reasons but not her. She carries herself well in the industry and gives 100% to every gig and performance. We work well together and I value her commitment to our Saturday slot.”

Having achieved so much in the 5 years she has been in the industry, Zinhle admits that FUSE Academy is her proudest achievement.