A song about stillness has become the centre of a public dispute between two of South Africa’s most closely associated collaborators, after singer and songwriter Zoë Modiga said she had not approved the release of a remix of “Thula” featuring her voice.
Thula (Culoe De Song Remix), credited to Culoe De Song and BandaBanda featuring Modiga, was released on 4 September through BandaBanda Agency and De Song Music.
A day later, a statement issued by Modiga and her Yelloëwax team drew a line under it.
“I want to make it clear that I had no prior knowledge of, involvement in, or approval of the release in question,” Modiga said.
“I was neither consulted about nor did I give my approval for the release,” she continued.
She said the disagreement went further than the remix itself, pointing to unresolved questions about “the rights, ownership, and commercial arrangements relating to the relevant work”, and confirmed she had instructed her legal representatives to act on her behalf.
“As the matter is now being dealt with through formal legal channels, I do not intend to engage in a public debate about the underlying dispute while that process is ongoing,” she said.
Thembinkosi Banda popularly known as BandaBanda, the producer behind much of Modiga’s early catalogue, responded a day later with a statement of his own, saying he had not intended to address the matter publicly.
He set out a timeline: the original “Thula” was released on 12 June 2025, then re-recorded live in 2026 as part of ISIKHATHI.
“Prior to the release of Thula (Remix), the music was also shared with Zoë Modiga, and those communications form part of the documented record,” he said.
He described months of attempts to settle what he called outstanding professional matters.
“Meetings were arranged, correspondence was sent, follow-ups were made, and attempts were made to reschedule conversations that had not taken place,” he said, adding that those efforts did not produce a resolution.
Reflecting on a partnership he put at close to nine years, BandaBanda said he remained proud of the work and would never diminish it.
But, he added, “no individual should be expected to remain indefinitely suspended in unresolved professional matters.”
He was careful to frame the statement as a record rather than a campaign. “This statement is not an invitation for the public to choose sides,” he said, saying he was comfortable allowing the correspondence and documented attempts to engage to speak for themselves.
In a later post on his Facebook page, addressed to Modiga by name, he returned to the meaning of the song at the centre of it all.
“What makes this moment even more ironic is that Thula is a song about peace, stillness and quiet. Yet somehow, a song about stillness has been met with so much noise,” he wrote. “I have always wanted peace. I still do.”
The remix remains available on streaming platforms.
Neither Culoe De Song nor De Song Music has commented publicly on the dispute.