Multi award-winning praise singer who drives her movements to promote arts and cultural identity, Masingita Shibambu who is well known as Ntombhi Ya Mutsonga won the South African Traditional Musiac Achievements (SATMA) Awards for Best Traditional Praise Singer on Saturday in Mbombela.

Ntombhi Ya Mutsonga from Matiyani village in Malamulele is known for SONA2020 Imbongi, the first Tsonga poet to usher the President of South Africa.

She is the founder of NYM Arts Academy, an arts institution aimed at building and nurturing creatives in rural areas.

She thanked all people who had taken their precious time and spent airtime voting for her.

“I extend my gratitude to all people who utilized their time just to take part in supporting me,” she said.

She said she was nominated as best praise singer, and by the grace she won the award.

“As poet I drives all my movement to promote arts and cultural identity. It is very important to that people start to follow the culture and I want to stand on the gap and inspire especially the young people so that we don’t have to forget where we come from. This award says to me the world is looking at me as the youngest praise singer, and my hard work didn’t vanish to the air. People are really supportive.

“The moment I learnt that I was nominated for the award, I embrace it, and encourage people to vote for me, I never waited for someone to push it, but I did myself. Throughout the journey it was challenging but interesting as well, I have learnt that I have got family in social media platform and people who are ready to support each and everything I do,” said Ntombi ya Motsonga.

She further said that her book is finally done and focuses on Xitsonga culture.

“I am a praise poet who drives all movement to promote arts and culture identity, the book is all about that. I am also going back to studio to give my people more content because that’s the best I can do. I grew up in a Christ oriented family. This made me engage in each and every activity at Sunday school, from drama to music, poetry and storytelling.

“This is where I discovered my gift of poetry. In 2014 my first time being on stage in a competition that had more than 500 audience, particularly when I was on stage, I experienced a deep intense feeling and the ancient of poetry gushed out words that I never thought resided in me. I obtained the first position and till this day I never looked back. This helped me build my confidence and made me fall more in love with poetry,” she said.

“For me is that wherever you put your mind into the universe is listening and God will give you surely the desire of your heart. I can’t begin to explain how that experience was, but it was really a good one because it opens more doors of opportunity. I believe I am where I am because it played a huge role in me as poet,” she explains.