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The Bala Brothers siblings have all certainly traveled a long path from the tough streets of their birthplace in the Kwa-Nobuhle township outside Port Elizabeth in the Eastern Cape.
Thankfully their epic journey has always been paved with music and song, and now the BALA name is set to leave another proudly South African musical legacy that will shine for many decades to come.
Songwriter, musician, producer, arranger, performing artist, DJ, TV personality … the family’s multi-talented oldest brother ZWAI BALA hardly needs an introduction, while his hugely popular younger brother LOYISO BALA has carved out an impressive solo recording career for himself.
Now, with both Zwai and Loyiso’s own stars burning brightly, they’ve joined forces with their prodigiously gifted younger brother PHELO BALA to form a trio known simply as … The Bala Brothers
15 year old Phelo, who is currently in Grade 10 at St Stithian’s Boys College, has followed in his brothers footsteps. He was Deputy Head Boy last year at the internationally renowned Drakensburg Boys Choir School in Kwa Zulu Natal, the very same illustrious institution where Zwai and then Loyiso themselves blazed musical paths.
The Bala Brothers have already performed a handful of well-received gigs, including a debut appearance on SABC2’s ‘Strictly Come Dancing’, Rand Merchant Bank’s annual Starlight Classics event, and Miss South Africa 2006.
Now, their highly anticipated debut album entitled B3 is released … The stunning album features a unique mix of songs, ranging from popular ‘Popera’ standards such as ‘Circle Of Life’, ‘Beauty And The Beast’ (which features the glorious voice of special guest Judith Sephuma), ‘You Raise Me Up’, and Queen’s ‘Somebody To Love’, through to operatic numbers such as ‘Nella Fantasia’, ‘Caro Mio Ben’ and ‘All I Ask Of You’, the latter featuring the soaring vocals of internationally acclaimed soprano Angela Kerrison.
Recording the bulk of the songs with a full orchestra under the baton of Richard
Cock, the album is a world-class record that sees the Bala siblings in harmonious voice as they stamp their incomparable musical class on the South African music scene.
The majority of tracks were produced by Zwai himself, while Loyiso also lent a hand in this department.
Perhaps most interestingly, the album also features several Loyiso and Zwai Bala-composed original tracks (‘Masibuyelayane’, ‘Khumbula’ and the bonus track ‘Beautiful Women’) that shine alongside ‘classic’ South African tunes such as ‘Silvia’ and ‘Ziph’inkomo’.
These songs add an unmistakable and exciting local dimension to the album
A stunning music video for the ‘Khumbula’ track has been created, and will shortly be seen all over TV screens nationally.
A full documentary charting the Bala Brothers’ story – and the making of the debut album – has also been shot, and will be a useful tool with which to tell the latest chapter in the truly amazing story of three truly gifted individuals.
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Professor Shirley Zinn is the former Group Head of Human Resources at Woolworths Holdings Limited. Prior to this, she was the Head of Human Resources of Standard Bank South Africa and Deputy Global Head of Human Resources for the Standard Bank Group.
Prior to this she was the Group Executive HR at Nedbank. Before this, she was the General Manager for Human Resources at the South African Revenue Service (SARS).
She is also an Extraordinary Professor at the University of Pretoria’s Department of Human Resource Management, and recently been appointed as Adjunct Professor at the University of Cape Town.
Shirley is the Past President of the Institute for People Management South Africa and registered as Master HR Professional with South Africa Board for People Practice.
Professor Shirley Zinn hails from the Cape Flats in Cape Town, and started her career as a secondary school teacher of English, then moved to the University of the Western Cape where she lectured in Teacher Education.
After this, Professor Shirley Zinn served at Southern Life as Training Manager and then moved to the Department of Public Service and Administrations’: South African Management Development Institute, in Pretoria as Director.
She held the position of Executive Employment Equity at Computer Configurations Holdings. Before her appointment at SARS, she filled the role of Regional Human Resources Director for Middle East and Africa for Reckitt Benckiser, a global company listed on the London Stock Exchange.
Professor Shirley Zinn is the former Chairman of DHL: Global Forwarding SA, and currently a Non-Executive Director on the Boards of JSE listed AdvTech (Lead Independent and Chair of Remco) and Sygnia Asset Management (Lead Independent, and Chair of Remco and Social and Ethics Committee).
She also serves as a director on the Boards of Tuesday Consulting, Empowerment Capital, Knowledge Resources, Business Engage, Community Chest, and the Boston Consulting Group SA. In addition, she is the HR Advisor to the Board of Silvertree Internet Holdings.
Professor Shirley Zinn also serves on the Takeover Regulation Panel Board and on the Council of the University of Cape Town. She is a Trustee on the Nedbank Eyethu Community Trust, Ambassador for the Orbis Africa Charity, and the former Chairman of Starfish Greathearts Foundation.
She also serves on the Advisory Boards of Monash South Africa, and the University of Pretoria’s Faculty of Economic and Management Sciences. Shirley is the past President for the Harvard Alumni Association South Africa and a Fellow of the Institute of Directors SA.
She also previously served as the Chair of the Institute of Bankers. She was recently appointed as the Patron for South Africa Council of Business Women.
She is a coach and mentor to several women across multiple industries She has presented at numerous national and international conferences as a keynote speaker.
In 2015, she wrote her autobiography entitled “Swimming Upstream” which focuses on her personal and professional journey. It has officially been announced as a best-seller.
In 2016, she presented several “Swimming Upstream” talks nationally at corporates, schools, universities and charities, with the hope of motivating and inspiring especially youth and women that they can achieve despite adversity, and to never give up.
She holds a BA (University of the Western Cape); Post Graduate Higher Diploma in Education (University of the Western Cape); B.Ed. Honours (UNISA); M.Ed. (University of the Western Cape); Ed.M. (Harvard); and Doctorate in Education (Harvard).
Professor Shirley Zinn was awarded the Top Woman in Business and Government and Top Executive in Corporate South Africa by Topco Media in 2008. Professor Zinn also was recognized by the Black Business Quarterly and received the Award for Top Woman in Business and Government and most Visionary Woman in 2008.
She also received an award from the World Human resources Congress in Mumbai in 2007 and 2013 respectively for Excellence in Global HR Leadership. In 2012, was listed in the Top 30 Wonder Women in South Africa by the Wits Business Journal.
Professor Shirley Zinn was awarded Africa’s Most Influential Women in Business and Government for 2016 in the SME Sector by CEO Global.
She also completed her ninth Two Oceans Half Marathon in March 2018.
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