Sacred Ground Re-Engineered: Zakes Bantwini and the Modern Transformation of Johnny Clegg’s “The Crossing”

News

By Viranova Music Desk13 Jul 2026Music

Some songs carry enough history that reinterpreting them becomes an act of negotiation.

Johnny Clegg wrote “The Crossing (Osiyeza)” for Dudu Mntowaziwayo Ndlovu, popularly known as Dudu Zulu, his dancer, percussionist and Savuka collaborator. Ndlovu was killed in 1992 amid political and taxi-related violence in KwaZulu-Natal. The song appeared on Johnny Clegg and Savuka’s 1993 album Heat, Dust & Dreams.

The original draft called Ndlovu’s death an assassination and described him as Clegg’s “closest friend.” Clegg and others clearly described him as a friend and important collaborator, but the available evidence does not establish the more specific “closest friend” wording. “Killed” is also more defensible than “assassinated” because accounts differ on the exact circumstances and intended target.

On 10 July 2026, Zakes Bantwini, Jesse Clegg and Msaki released a house reinterpretation of “The Crossing,” featuring Skye Wanda and the late Johnny Clegg. The two-track release contains an extended version and a 3:58 radio edit, with a combined duration of approximately 12 minutes.

That official credit line is important. The record should not be described simply as “Zakes Bantwini featuring Jesse Clegg, Msaki and Skye Wanda.” Jesse Clegg and Msaki are named primary artists alongside Bantwini, while Skye Wanda and Johnny Clegg receive featured billing.

The reinterpretation works by moving the song into a house framework without treating the original composition as untouchable heritage. Repetition, electronic rhythm and extended duration create a different type of communal experience around material originally shaped by bereavement.

Jesse Clegg’s participation creates an unavoidable intergenerational link, but it would be inaccurate to state as fact that he “steps into his father’s shoes on the bridge” without confirmed vocal or structural credits identifying that exact section.

The late Johnny Clegg’s featured credit gives the release another layer of continuity. Rather than separating the original artist from the adaptation, the new version formally places him inside its credited architecture.

South African house music has often carried emotional, spiritual and communal language onto the dance floor. That makes the format suited to “The Crossing,” a song concerned with grief, passage and the uncertain distance between those who remain and those who have left.

Bantwini has not replaced the original. He has created another environment in which it can be encountered.

Reporting basis: Based on Apple Music release information for Zakes Bantwini, Jesse Clegg and Msaki’s “The Crossing (Osiyeza),” Spotify catalogue context for Johnny Clegg and Savuka’s Heat, Dust & Dreams, public reporting on Dudu Zulu/Ndlovu’s death, and Viranova editorial analysis of heritage reinterpretation in South African house music.

Corrections open · Editorial standards · AI policy