Award-winning musician, producer and businessman Zakes Bantwini, real name Zakhele Madida, has criticised the male podcasters behind FinallyGQ Podcast after they joked about the health condition of his former protégé and fellow musician L’vovo Derrango.
Zakes, who played a major role in launching L’vovo’s career, took issue with what he described as jokes built around the kwaito star’s stroke, recovery and physical limitations.
The comments reportedly came during a discussion about the two musicians performing together at Mayonie Open Air in Durban, with the conversation referencing Zakes’ song “Clap Your Hands”. The joke centred on L’vovo’s difficulty using his left hand following the stroke.
Rather than treating the situation as harmless banter, Zakes said there was a point at which comedy becomes cruelty.
“We’ve lost the line on what’s funny,” he said.
“Joking about a man’s career, his choices, his ego – fair game, always has been. But building a bit around someone’s stroke, someone still in recovery, what their body can or can’t do right now – that’s not comedy anymore. That’s cruelty wearing a laugh track.”
Zakes: ‘Someone has to say it’
The musician said the issue was bigger than L’vovo and reflected what he believes is an increasingly careless attitude towards people’s vulnerabilities in the pursuit of online content.
“This isn’t isolated,” Zakes said.
“What happened on Spring Day, kids pouring water on elderly people going to work, filming it, calling it fun – is the same loss of a line, just a different costume.”
He argued that social media and podcast culture increasingly reward people for turning vulnerability into entertainment.
“We keep finding new ways to make someone’s vulnerability the punchline and calling it content,” he said.
Zakes acknowledged that speaking out could itself contribute to the attention surrounding the podcast.
“I know saying this might just feed the same clickbait cycle I’m talking about. I’m fine with that trade,” he said.
“But someone has to say it, there has to be a limit, and recovery, illness, and disability sit on the other side of it.”
L’vovo’s life changed after accident and stroke
L’vovo, whose real name is Thokozani Ndlovu, has been rebuilding his life after a series of serious health challenges.
The Newcastle-born kwaito musician was involved in a serious car accident in May 2022. Later that year, in December, he suffered a stroke while performing at an event in Ndwedwe, KwaZulu-Natal.
During his recent emotional interview with veteran broadcaster Linda “Mr Magic” Sibiya on Gagasi FM, L’vovo recalled performing before suddenly becoming dizzy and losing feeling in his left leg.
He was eventually diagnosed with dangerously high blood pressure and spent weeks in intensive care after the stroke.
The medical emergency dramatically affected his ability to work. He has spoken about struggling with his speech, mobility and returning to music, while the financial consequences of being unable to perform or secure bookings added another layer to his recovery.
L’vovo has also spoken candidly about withdrawing from public life because he did not want to be viewed through the lens of pity.
“I never wanted to be defined by sympathy because I was fighting to recover,” he said.
He also spoke about losing friends
In discussing his recovery, L’vovo revealed that the period exposed him to both genuine friendship and abandonment.
“I suffered financially because I wasn’t working or receiving any bookings. I had to move back home. I was scared to go outside and be seen by people,” he said.
“My real friends would come, cook for me, and take care of me. I received words of support. I also lost many people.”
That revelation became an important part of his recent story – not simply surviving a stroke, but discovering who remained around him when he could no longer provide the lifestyle and opportunities associated with his music career.
South Africans rallied behind the musician
L’vovo’s decision to speak publicly about his struggles triggered an unexpected wave of support.
Following his Gagasi FM interview, a community-led fundraising campaign was launched to assist him with physiotherapy, rehabilitation and other recovery costs. Importantly, the organiser said L’vovo himself had not asked the public for money.
The campaign quickly passed R200,000 before eventually exceeding R280,000.
L’vovo subsequently thanked those who supported him and said the contributions would go towards his recovery.
“Surviving my stroke has changed the way I look at life. It has taught me that my story is bigger than music alone,” he said.
More recently, reports have indicated that L’vovo has also been looking at ways of rebuilding his income and independence, including exploring a mobile toilet business after receiving more than R300,000 in public support.
Zakes reminds podcasters where the line should be
For Zakes, the fact that L’vovo is still recovering is precisely why his condition should not become material for a punchline.
“To the young men behind content like this, you have real talent and a real platform. Use it with more care,” he said.
“Wisdom isn’t the absence of edge, it’s knowing what the edge is for.”
He encouraged creators to direct their sharpest jokes towards people and institutions with power rather than individuals dealing with circumstances beyond their control.
“Sharpen it against power, ego, hypocrisy or anything for that matter – but not against a man trying to get his hand working again, or a man who had an accident or an unfortunate life-threatening condition,” Zakes said.
“That discernment is what turns a voice into an influence people actually respect.”
A relationship that goes back years
Zakes’ defence of L’vovo also carries personal history.
Madida was instrumental in launching Thokozani Ndlovu’s music career in the mid-2000s, with L’vovo releasing his self-titled debut project under Mayonie Productions. The relationship helped establish L’vovo as one of the recognisable names in South African kwaito.
Zakes is also closely associated with “Clap Your Hands”, the song referenced in the podcast discussion. The track features Xolani Sithole and appeared on his Love, Light and Music album.
For Zakes, however, the issue is no longer about a song, a performance or even whether a joke lands.
It is about whether a man still fighting to regain the use of his body should become the punchline simply because his vulnerability can generate views.
