MAIN PHOTO: FUN WAS HAD AT THE JOY OF JAZZ – IMAGE BY TLADI KHUELE
Threads of Unity 2026 turned Soweto into a runway while the Standard Bank Joy of Jazz filled Sandton with sound, making for a weekend that celebrated Africa’s creative spirit.
LEN KALANE
South Africa marked Heritage Month in style this past weekend, with two very different stages telling one connected story: African creativity, worn and played with pride.
On Saturday, 26 September, Soweto’s Vilakazi Street, the only street in the world to have been home to two Nobel Peace laureates, became the runway for Threads of Unity 2026. Over the same weekend, the Sandton Convention Centre hosted the 27th Standard Bank Joy of Jazz, 25 to 26 September.
PHOTO: ADVOCATING FOR AFROCENTRIC FASHION – ALL THREAD IN UNITY IMAGES SUPPLIED BY EVENT ORGANISERS
Threads of Unity: Soweto Meets Lagos
Billed as “From Soweto to Lagos”, the fashion parade brought five South African and five Nigerian designers together on one stage. It was hosted by the Women African Tourism Board (WATB) together with the Annual Vukani Fashion Awards, and paired the runway with awards and panel conversations on heritage and cultural diplomacy. The message organisers put at the centre of the day was simple: Africa is united.
The setting was deliberate. Vilakazi Street is where designer Sonwabile Ndamase, the man behind the Madiba shirt, first asked Mama Winnie Madikizela-Mandela for a chance to become her designer. The event doubled as a tribute to her legacy and a homecoming for Ndamase, founder of the Vukani label and the South African Fashion Designers’ Agency.
PHOTO: DESIGNER SONWABILE NDAMASE POSING AT VILAKAZI STREET
Ndamase has long argued that clothing is more than decoration. “Heritage is also what we wear. What we speak. What we pass on. What we choose to keep alive,” he said at the Ink & Identity Colloquium. On Saturday, that idea played out in silhouettes and fabrics that put South African and Nigerian design side by side.
AFRICAN FASHION AT VILAKAZI STREET
GO GIRL, SHOW THEM STYLE
KEEP IT AFRICAN INSPIRED
LOOK AT THIS!
Joy of Jazz: Legacy and New Voices
Across Johannesburg, Joy of Jazz spread its programme over several stages in Sandton, pairing international headliners with South African legends. Beninese singer Angélique Kidjo and American saxophonist Kamasi Washington were both billed for their first Joy of Jazz appearances.
The local line-up leaned into tribute and legacy. Thandiswa Mazwai paid homage to Hugh Masekela’s songbook, while Khaya Mahlangu honoured Kippie Moeketsi. The programme also made room for the next generation, including 2026 Standard Bank Young Artist Award winners Gabi Motuba and Manana.
THIS IS THE JOY OF JAZZ! – IMAGE TLADI KHUELE
The Diphala Stage put women at the forefront, with Nubya Garcia, Gabi Motuba and Lorraine Klaasen among those on the bill, while the Mbira Stage blended jazz with neo-soul and spoken word.
One Weekend, One Thread
Whether on a Soweto street or inside a Sandton concert hall, the weekend’s common thread was heritage carried confidently into the future. From the runway to the bandstand, South Africa’s creatives showed that identity, once claimed with pride, travels well.
#ThreadsOfUnity2026 #VukaniFashionAwards #JoyOfJazz #HeritageMonth
