Vuli ndlea brenda fassie biography

ON NEW DOCUMENTARY SERIES

Johannesburg, Wednesday, 12 November 2025 – SABC1 presents Vulindlela, a four-part documentary series, starting Saturday, 15 November 2025 at 20:00.

Vulindlela is a gripping series that charts Brenda Fassie’s extraordinary rise from obscurity to South African music royalty.

Missed performances and tabloid headlines soon followed, painting a chaotic picture of a star losing control. When news of her hospitalisation broke, South Africans from all walks of life gathered in prayer, holding

vigils outside hospitals and in their homes. Do their leaders fully represent the nation – including the rebel girl child?

The track became an anthem, confirming the creative magic between Brenda and Chicco and securing both their places in South African music history.

Episode 3 – 29 November 2025

(The Price of Excess)

In this episode, Brenda Fassie’s story takes a darker turn as those closest to her reflect on her complicated relationship with money.

Rebelliously, Fassie released Black President in 1990.

Apartheid and its policy of separate development for different ethnic groups made Black women like Fassie vulnerable and subject to rural existence or life in townships. But behind the glamour, substance abuse and alcohol began to take hold. Who is included in and excluded from the family?

As a queer woman and bad girl, Fassie symbolises those who are most often excluded.

Tune in every Saturday at 20:00 on SABC1 or stream it live on SABC Plus. Discovered by Koloi Lebona, Brenda’s star began to rise with the recording of Weekend Special, a song that catapulted her to fame despite early rejection. The child-like persona that Brenda embodied is part of her impact.

In 2001 she performed Vulindlela at the Kora All Africa Music Awards, wearing a school uniform and holding a lunchbox.

In my doctoral thesis I look at how some women in South African popular culture like Fassie, singer Lebo Mathosa and actress Khanyi Mbau have made an impact on the socio-political fabric of the country by presenting themselves in rebellious ways. She defied expectations and reinvented herself through the iconic album Vulindlela.

Through rare interviews, re-enactments, and electrifying performances, the documentary uncovers her fearless spirit, the creative partnership that shaped her sound, and the empowerment of a generation during one of the country’s darkest days.

In Vulindlela, Brenda tells her story through unforgettable music and rare candid interviews that captured her unfiltered essence.

The series features those close to the trailblazer —family, friends, collaborators, and biographers —each offering an intimate, firsthand perspective.

The series includes powerful dramatizations featuring a top cast led by Brenda Ngxoli as Brenda Fassie and Sphamandla Dhludlu as Chicco Thwala.

Ofentse Thinane, Channel Head: SABC1, remarks, “The story and legacy of Brenda Fassie can never be forgotten.

Her passing sent shockwaves through the nation, uniting fans in grief and remembrance. Mandela – fondly called “uTata” (father) – was in the audience and Fassie handed him a banana. Family, friends, and colleagues recall how those final moments revealed just how deeply Brenda was loved. A few years later, Vulindlela arrived — a celebration of freedom, joy, and resilience.