Inspired
“I Pray to See a Unified Africa”: Tyla Says as She Wins SAMA32 International Achievement Award
Tyla received the AfriPure International Achievement Award for the second time at SAMA32 at Sun City. Making her first in-person SAMAs appearance, the Grammy-winning star called fellow African artists onstage and advocated for greater continental unity.
Photo Credit: Tyla/Instagram
Grammy-winning superstar Tyla was the centre of attention at the 32nd South African Music Awards (SAMA32) at the Sun City Superbowl, taking home the AfriPure International Achievement Award. The win marks the second time she has received the honour following her 2024 victory, making her only the second musician in SAMAs history alongside Black Coffee to win the category twice. While she dominated the 2024 ceremony with four wins, this was her very first time attending and accepting her trophy in person.
Presented with the award by media personality Bonang Matheba and AfriPure co-founder Grant Hughes, Tyla took to the microphone to reflect on navigating her sudden global rise. “There’s never been a Tyla before me, and I don’t have a roadmap,” she told the crowd. “I don’t have someone to call and ask how they did things, and which steps to make, so as I stumbled through my career and my life now growing up as a woman and an artist in front of the world, I just thank South Africa for being there for me and for supporting me.”
She paid homage to her roots and the Pretoria Bacardi movement that helped propel her hit single Water to global charts. “South Africa runs through my veins, it shows in the way I speak, the way I dance, and I want to thank Bacardi also, Pretoria, because the moment I did Bacardi on that stage to Water, it changed my whole life,” she stated.
Turning her personal achievement into a broader celebration, Tyla called on fellow African artists in the venue to join her on stage. Musician peers including Makhadzi, Cassper Nyovest, Zee Nxumalo, Maglera Doe Boy, Langa Mavuso, Babalwa M, Lordkez, and Xduppy stepped up to stand alongside her as she accepted the trophy. Surrounded by her peers, she closed her speech with a message on unity, stating, “I wanna take this moment to celebrate all the artists from here… I pray one day to see a unified Africa; it’s so important, and I just thank you, guys.”
