Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the Department of IsiZulu Namagugu at the University of Zululand, 2007. / Music plays a vital role in African cultures and permeates all the spheres of life. Music is part and parcel of culture in African societies. Music informs culture, and culture also informs music. The study of African music using the comparative approach was fraught with numerous pitfalls and shortcomings. Music was studied in isolation, which led to a misconstrued picture of African music. This study has thus employed the ethnomusicological approach. The ethnomusicological approach ensures that music is analysed taking into consideration the cultural context of music. This study looks at mbaqanga music as culture and in culture. The history of mbaqanga music is, thus, analysed taking into account all the factors that impacted on its evolution. The first chapter serves as a background to this study. It deals with the aims of this research and the definition of terms. It also deals briefly with the research methodology employed in this study. The second chapter focuses on a literature review and analytic models. It also looks at the emergence of ethnomusicology as a discipline. It focuses on music as culture and music in culture, and, moreover, it looks at the types of popular music. The third chapter deals with the historical background of mbaqanga music. Genres such as marabi and kwela music are briefly discussed. The political and socio-cultural context of mbaqanga music is discussed. The role of musicians and the media in the development of mbaqanga music is also discussed. The fourth chapter deals with research methodology in detail. This chapter also focuses on the details related to data collection. The fifth chapter deals with the analysis and interpretation of data. It looks at findings from interviews conducted and the analysis of song texts. The sixth chapter offers recommendations and a summary of the findings.

This study seeks to investigate the origin and development of the thinking, make up, evolution, meaning, impact, essence of originality, and attempts to reclaim the true identity of African music of South Africa from 1963 to date by Philip Tabane through his concept of Malombo Music. This study introduces Philip Tabane’s biographical background, and sketches out the socio political milieu in which he has had to do creative work, maps out stages of development of Malombo music, and investigates how media was bent on shaping a particular public opinion about Malombo music. The latter is juxtaposed against Philip Tabane’s own philosophy of music making. The research further investigates what Tabane’s own definition of Malombo is. Primary and secondary sources of data are consulted, including a collection of primary data drawn from continuous dialogue with Dr Philip Tabane himself from 1990 to 2008, and getting to do media scan of public statements made in interviews with journalists. One on one discussions were held with Dr Philip Tabane in order to understand and verify popular views held about him and about his work. Secondary sources included newspaper articles, journals, policy documents, and internet survey. Findings of this research are a record of Philip Tabane’s life, discography; philosophy; compositions; key debates on the management of heritage; rights and ownership of intellectual property in South Africa; analysis of Tabane’s compositional and stylistic format; Tabane’s national and international profile; and suggestions for the development of true national heritage and culture. Above all the research findings will help in providing necessary understanding of South African music history, especially future challenges on concept development in music, ownership and rights, recommended amendments to the existing legislative framework that governs broadcast and copyrights, as well as the very history of one of the least celebrated but honoured son of the soil, Dr Philip Nchipi Tabane. Additional information available on a CD, DVD stored at the Merensky Library on Level 3 Copyright / Thesis (DMus)--University of Pretoria, 2010. / Music / unrestricted