Thabo “Tbo Touch” Molefe appears to have won himself a new constituency among Maskandi lovers after sharing the Metro FM studio with Ntencane Zondi during the station’s afternoon drive show.
The appearance on Thursday sparked an enthusiastic reaction from Maskandi fans, with some listeners affectionately referring to the veteran broadcaster as “iTouch Elihle” a playful nod to what they perceived as his warm and respectful engagement with the Maskandi star.
The reaction is significant in a music culture where audiences are often fiercely protective of the genre, its artists and its place within South Africa’s broader music industry.
One social-media reaction to Ntencane’s appearance described it as a “Maskandi hostile takeover on Metro”, celebrating the fact that the genre was receiving prominent exposure on the national station.
Tbo Touch currently hosts The Touchdown on Metro FM alongside LootLove, Lindi Mtshali and Morena Mothupi. The weekday show airs from 3pm to 6pm.
For many Maskandi followers, however, the appeal of the moment appeared to go beyond simply seeing one of the genre’s biggest names on a national radio platform.
The response suggests that fans appreciated the broadcaster giving Ntencane space to speak, engage and represent the culture on one of the country’s major commercial radio platforms.
Ntencane, whose real name is Senzo Zondi, has established himself as one of the prominent younger voices in contemporary Maskandi.
The KwaZulu-Natal-born singer emerged professionally in 2019 and has built his career around traditional Zulu Maskandi storytelling while incorporating contemporary themes and songwriting.
His latest album, Awuyiphumuze, was released in February 2026 and contains 16 tracks, including Ukhethe Mina, Awuyiphumuze, Engalobolile featuring KaMaphanga, Musa Ukusilinga featuring Izingane Zoma and Ngipheth’idayimane featuring veteran musician Freddie Gwala.
The album has also continued to circulate prominently within Maskandi playlists, with tracks such as Ukhethe Mina and Engalobolile appearing on 2026 Maskandi selections.
That makes Ntencane’s Metro FM appearance particularly interesting, it places an artist rooted in a distinctly KwaZulu-Natal musical tradition in conversation with a national mainstream radio audience.
The enthusiasm around the appearance also highlights the changing relationship between Maskandi and mainstream South African entertainment platforms.
For years, Maskandi has maintained an enormous following, particularly in KwaZulu-Natal, while often being treated as a regional genre by sections of the mainstream music industry.
Ntencane’s continued visibility, alongside the popularity of other Maskandi artists, demonstrates that the genre has become an important part of South Africa’s contemporary music economy.
Even Metro FM has increasingly positioned itself alongside the genre’s biggest names. At the 2026 Metro FM Music Awards Festival in Durban, the station’s line-up included Maskandi heavyweights such as Khuzani, Mthandeni SK and Umafikizolo, with Tbo Touch among the hosts.
The reaction to Ntencane’s appearance therefore appears to have tapped into something bigger than a single radio interview.
For Maskandi fans, seeing Ntencane given a prominent platform and seeing Tbo Touch engage with him in a way they perceived as genuine became a moment of cultural affirmation.
And if “iTouch Elihle” sticks, the nickname may have given Tbo Touch something he did not arrive at the studio with, an honorary place in the Maskandi family.
For now, the Maskandi fans seem to be saying Touch has been accepted.