Yvonne Chaka Chaka
Yvonne “Chaka Chaka” Mhinga is a Unisa goodwill ambassador. She holds an Advanced Diploma in Adult Education and a Certificate in Local Government, Management and Administration from Unisa.
Soweto-born singer Yvonne Machaka’s 1981 appearance on the Sugar Shack talent show made her the first black teenager to be profiled on local television. Under her stage name “Yvonne Chaka Chaka”, she would become one of South Africa’s top-selling pop artists, earning her the title ‘Princess of Africa’. From her first hit “I’m in love with a DJ” (1985) to eternal favourites like “Umqombothi” (1988), her now-classic fusion of Western disco with African mbaqanga rhythms still receives daily radio play. Today, she is an exemplar of the socially engaged celebrity, teaching adult literacy at Unisa, sitting on the boards of several charities, and “drawing global attention to the … impact of malaria on Africa’s children” through ambassadorial work for UNICEF and Roll Back Malaria. In 2012, she became the first woman to receive the World Economic Forum’s Crystal Award for artists who improve the world through their work.