Visit Gauteng – Zwakala Presents KUNYE Joburg March 2026 Edition: Africa’s Dance Music Capital Comes Alive This Weekend
Johannesburg, Visit Gauteng is proud to announce the highly anticipated return of KUNYE Joburg, the continent’s flagship AfroHouse and AfroTech music gathering founded by global DJ and producer Shimza. The 2026 summer season finale takes place on Saturday, 7 March 2026 at Huddle Park Golf Resort in Linksfield, positioning Johannesburg as the home of KUNYE and the global epicentre of African electronic dance culture.
This year’s edition arrives on the heels of the massive KUNYE Nairobi event, held on 28 February 2026 at Uhuru Gardens, which delivered an explosive 12hour showcase featuring Shimza, SunEl Musician, DJ Maphorisa, Ape Drums, Darque, Suraj, Santa, MilaRose B2B Stoffela and more, described in Kenyan media as a “masterclass in event production” and one of Nairobi’s defining cultural experiences of the year.
The continental momentum from Nairobi has ignited significant regional travel demand into Johannesburg, with Kenya Airways and Airlink expecting increased passenger volumes into OR Tambo International Airport as East African festivalgoers fly in for this weekend’s grand finale.
Internationally Stacked Lineup
Discover the Vibrancy of KUNYE in Joburg
Experience the Energy of KUNYE
- Mahmut Orhan (Turkey), Arodes (Spain), JAMIIE (Germany)
- Shimza (South Africa) — Afro-Tech pioneer & founder of the KUNYE movement
- Sun-EL Musician, The Darque Experience, Dwson, Baby Whitz and Judy Jay
The event reinforces Johannesburg’s status as the creative heartbeat of Africa, hosting the main KUNYE editions twice yearly, while the rest of the continent experiences satellite showcases. The event continues to be a major catalyst for Gauteng’s visitor economy and creative industries, contributing to temporary jobs in logistics, staging, security, technical services and hospitality, increased demand for accommodations, e-hailing services, nightlife, dining and retail and strengthening Gauteng’s creative and cultural economy through Afro-Tech and House music-driven tourism.
Visit Gauteng has secured special event accommodation packages with Holiday Inn Express Sandton – Woodmead and Mercure Hotel Bedfordview, accessible via a QR code on the Visit Gauteng app and social media platforms.
Overall, Gauteng is putting up a province-wide weekend of music experience and a destination-wide musical takeover featuring Ehailing operators will play KUNYE playlists from Friday morning, hotel partners will equally activate KUNYE soundscapes across their public areas with Johannesburg earmarked to “sound like KUNYE” from arrival to departure.
“This immersive musical corridor, discounted packages from our travel trade partners, better air and land transport connectivity will, without a doubt enhances visitors’ cultural experience and strengthen Gauteng’s cosmopolitan identity and global music sound prowess”, explained GTA CEO Sthembiso Dlamini.
Shimza: Local Roots, Global Excellence
Born in Tembisa, Shimza’s rise to global acclaim — including his incoming April 2026 Club Pacha Ibiza residency — reinforces Gauteng’s ability to produce world-class talent and export African creative excellence to the world. His constant return to his hood and bringing along his international DJ friends and compatriots positions him not just as South Africa’s global export but equally a conscious and locally rooted talent very proud of his roots, his community and beloved golden province.
Leveraging on that, Gauteng Tourism will continue to build, working with leading industry players and platforms like Kunye, Bread 4 Soul and others, a strong Afro-Tech and House Music Route under the #MusicalGP banner, cementing the province as the home of African dance music culture and the global capital of Afro-Tech. Zwakala — Come experience Gauteng’s energy, rhythm and unstoppable creative pulse. Ends//
For more information and blow-by-blow coverage of the event, follow us on our social and digital media channels @gautengtourism on X (Twitter), @visitgauteng on Instagram, and TikTok and I Love Gauteng on Facebook.
Enquiries: Barba Gaoganediwe, Spokesperson, Gauteng Tourism Authority
0834467844 [email protected] @Barba_G74 on Twitter www.gauteng.net
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