Lucy O’Brien revealed an interesting point in her article on Ladysmith Black Mambazo in her article in last week’s Mail and Guardian’s award winning-supplement Friday.

The origin of the name of the multi award-winning and internationally successful isicathamiya group led by Joseph Shabalala is as follows. “Ladysmith” comes from the group’s home town, “Black” referred to what was then the strongest oxen on the farm and “Mambazo” is Zulu for “axe” “symbolising their ability to chop down the competition”!