Mother City Vibes
The Cape Cultural Collective is proud to release Mother City Vibes, an original instrumental track recorded by MJ and the Camissa Knights.
The track is composed by Mansoor Jaffer (MJ) and arranged by veteran jazz musician and music educator George Werner. The two played guitar and keyboard for the studio recording. The other musicians are Carlo Fabe (drums), Peter Ndlala (bass), Muneeb Hermans (trumpet) and Uviwe Caso (guitar).
The track was recorded by Cape Town Sound and filmed by Tri-Squared (video). Mario Jutzen did the cover design and Mike Benjamin took photographs. Gaenor Erasmus Hartenberg did admin and logistics, Vusumuzi Mpofu media support and Kay Jaffer proofing the drafts.
The CCC owes a debt of gratitude to everyone involved in this project.
The project was undertaken under the banner of Triple C Recordings, one of the nine programmes of the CCC.
Read more here about Mother City Vibes’ Reconciliation Day release as covered by Sibulele Kasa in Southern Mail https://southernmail.co.za/news/2025-12-18-new-song-released-on-day-of-reconciliation-celebrates-cape-towns-resilience/
Please view the video below.
AGM
Another year around the sun!
Working with Artscape
Working with Artscape
The CCC and Artscape have been working closely together in recent years, connected by our common goals.
The CCC fully supports Artscape’s misson of building inclusive arts and culture spaces for people in the City and beyond.
In 2017 we hosted our 10th anniversary at Artscape and this was followed by two annual productions, the second one on the life and times of Imam Adullah Haron, a freedom fighter who was killed in apartheid police detention in 1969. Covid interrupted our work, but in the ensuing years, the CCC placed much effort in getting our members and supporters to attend Artscape programmes as part of our Performing Arts Access and Support Programme. We also participated in events such as the Women’s Festival and the Voices in Unity concert during Heritage Month.
This year, we took this collaboration to a new level. Working with Artscape staff, we initiated a Sunset Poetry and Jazz session, which had its inaugural event on 30 September 2025. Artscape began making small venues available for some of our meetings and choir practices.
Faces of the CCC: Project Facilitator
Indiphile Ntlanga has been involved in the arts since her teens, when she joined the Kuyasa Horizon Empowerment initiative for youth empowerment in Kayamandi, Stellenbosch. Originally from Mthatha in the Eastern Cape, Ms Ntlanga loves learning from her students and says that if she could, she would harness the powers of Spiderman for a day. The Xolani Primary School teacher is part of the CCC’s Children’s Arts Group’s Committee and volunteers on Saturdays to ensure that learners arrive safely at Bridgeville Primary School.
1. Describe yourself in three words.
Amazing, free-spirited, beautiful
2. What inspired you to work with young people?
When I was young, I was fortunate enough to become involved with an NGO in Kayamandi that took kids off the street and taught us skills. They also shared the word of God with us. Eventually I became a youth leader for this NGO and now I believe it’s my turn to give back to other young people.
3. Which superpower would you like to channel, even just for a day?
I would like to be Spiderman. He is young, and yet he is loved by young and old alike. I would use this superpower to attract more people to do more art as a career.
4. What song best describes your personality?
The song is called Sondela by Msaki featuring Tresor. It’s soulful and chilled, yet upbeat – just like me.
5. What’s the most memorable project you’ve been part of?
For the last three years I’ve been involved in traditional arts projects that participates in national arts competitions. It’s a big deal as it allows the children involved to push themselves to new heights. I’m so proud to be a part of it. We get the children who are good at drawing to make our posters, the dancers dance, the singers, musicians – there’s something for everyone.
6. How do you get inspired when you feel stuck creatively?
I ask my kids what they think we should do. They minds inspire me and I learn so much from them. I also look to TikTok for inspiration.
7. What’s one thing you wish more people knew about CCC?
I wish they could see how the CCC is changing the world, one child and one artist at a time. I believe the CCC is here to change lives through the arts.
8. What’s one piece of advice you received as a young person that still guides you?
When I was at the NGO, I was very frustrated because I can’t dance or sing. One of my mentors told me one day: “Indi, don’t worry. You have a voice to stand up for other people.” It has always stayed with me that I can speak for those who can’t speak for themselves.
I am a hard worker, but I was an average student. Those words have shaped me so much that I believe it helped become the person I am today.
Our Story – the Cape Cultural Collective celebrates 18 Years!
Our Story – the Cape Cultural Collective celebrates 18 Years!
The Cape Cultural Collective (CCC) celebrates 18 years as a vital force in South Africa’s arts scene. Founded to unite and empower local artists, the CCC has fostered a vibrant community that transcends cultural divides. For nearly two decades, it has provided a crucial platform for musicians, poets, visual artists, and performers to collaborate and showcase their work.
This milestone anniversary reflects a lasting legacy of preserving heritage, igniting creative expression, and building bridges through the powerful, universal language of art, ensuring the region’s diverse cultural heartbeat continues to thrive.
Faces of the CCC: Project Facilitator
A self-professed natural-born leader, Anele Xhali is an experienced dancer, choreographer, commercial model, dance coach and mentor. He has been training peers and younger aspiring artists since he was in primary school. The Capetonian facilitates the dance segment of the Cape Cultural Collective’s Children’s Arts Group sessions at Bridgeville Primary School on Saturday mornings.
Q & A
1. Describe yourself in three words.
Perfectionist, kind, driven
2. If you could have any superpower for a day, what would it be and why?
I wish I had the ability to magically change people’s perspectives from negative to positive, and to help them to be more goal-driven. Many learners and young people I meet have a negative outlook on life, maybe because of their home environment or what they see in the streets, so I wish I could have a superpower that would allow them to see the world differently.
3. What song best describes your personality?
My Power – by Beyoncé. I love this song because I know that I am powerful. I am able to do most things, and when I try something I usually don’t rest until I get it right.
4. What’s the most memorable performance or project you’ve been part of?
A career highlight has definitely been when I was able to travel to China and perform there. There were only about six of us.
5. How do you get inspired when you feel stuck creatively?
I like to play my own music, meditate, and also watch draw inspiration from videos from other performers to boost my creativity. I also reach out to people who have experience in the industry.
6. How do you think the arts can bring people together?
The arts is a universal language that transcends barriers. Dance is especially relatable as we can speak different languages and don’t even need to be able to hear to share in the experience. If we want to share a story that is universally understood, we can do so through art.
7. What’s one thing you wish more people knew about CCC?
The collective brings people from different religions, communities and backgrounds together and enables them to unite through art. It creates a combined space for beautiful art to be made. The learners in our Children’s Arts Group have become like brothers and sisters, even though they are from different areas and would maybe otherwise not have befriended each other.
8. What’s your best advice for shy children in the group?
I would try to find a balance between putting them at ease and then also empowering them with tasks that can challenge them. I think it’s also good to pair shy children with bubbly peers so they can learn from each other.
9. What’s one piece of advice you received as a young person that still guides you?
My mentor taught me to always be polite and to try and be understanding and humble. She taught me to try and keep in mind that some people may act a certain way because of circumstances that I am not aware of.