The adage of never judging a book by its cover is true when it comes to singing for a Hwange based
upcoming artist J Tonga. Judging by his small body, one cannot tell how powerful the voice that
comes from his mouth is.
The dreadlocked artist has been making waves with his Tonga music in Matebeleland North province
especially on air on the local radio station, Lyeja FM.
Rutendo Mapfumo, from Indonsakusa had an opportunity to chat with him and this is his story.
RM: Who is J Tonga?
J Tonga: Tonga is simply a Son of the Mugande family, the second in a family of four. Joseph
Mugande being my real name. Born in Binga at Saba village but grew up in Hwange. I also studied in
three schools Makwika Primary, Fatima High and Gebhuza High School for my A level education.
RM: Tell us about your music, where do you get your inspiration from?
J Tonga: Well, as an artist and a social commentator, my music really emanates from a point of being
the eyes and the voice for the voiceless. It usually dwells of social issues, family conflicts Gender
Based Violence (GBV), child marriage and Love. Hence my music are stories of people, my life
stories…and sometimes teachings to society as a whole, that is why my music is for all age groups as
it talks about the day to day life of people despite age difference
RM: How many albums do you have.?
J Tonga: At the moment I don't have an album, just singles from a collection of them and they are
doing pretty good in terms of connecting to the masses. I sing mostly in Tonga though I fuse with
some local languages too and English.

RM: What is your favorite track, and what is it about?
J Tonga: (laughs) it is actually hard to choose the best as most of them are from a sense of pride but
will go with a collaboration with Tricycle called "Shelly".
It has become my favorite because it has related so well with the youths and it clearly brings out my
vocals in the best way I would have imagined. It also has the best melodies that can simply be a sing
along for most of the listeners and that is very important in a song.
RM: What is your music genre?
J Tonga: I wouldn't say I sing a certain type, rather I would say I am versatile. Afro Pop is the one I
do best, I can do almost anything from choral Gospel, RNB you name it.
RM: What are your success stories in the music industry?
J Tonga Artist: Well, since I started singing my greatest success has been winning the Fatima High
male vocalist of the year in 2015.This category was only created for me and it never stood again. My
music is also played on National television. It is also topping the list of the most played Around
Hwange and Vic Falls
RM: What are your challenges?
J Tonga Artist: Challenges never cease, first is recording places, quality instruments and the biggest,
sponsorship. We don't have people willing to have faith in us in terms of putting through some money
to make us more visible and productive.
RM: Where do u see yourself in the next five years
J Tonga Artist: Five years’ time will be a great time to reflect on the past. We would be on the Map
both locally and globally. We will be among the locally recognized and supported.
J Tonga is among the successful upcoming artists in Hwange, he has so far recorded six tracks.