Online Reporter
Zimpapers Arts and Entertainment Hub
SHE’S fierce, fabulous, and forever Bulawayo! As the City of Kings and Queens celebrates Bulawayo Day, cultural icon and fashion powerhouse Zana ‘Kay is taking a bold walk down memory lane in full queen mode.
Real name Nomakhosazana Khanyile Ncube, the founder of A Tribe Called Zimbabwe, lit up social media today with a powerful tribute to the city that made her. In true royal style, Zana ‘Kay honoured Bulawayo’s legacy while reminding everyone exactly why she wears her crown with pride.
“I was born in Bulawayo. I schooled in Bulawayo. I found my fire in Bulawayo,” she declared in a celebratory post dripping with pride, nostalgia and undeniable love for the city.
Zana ‘Kay’s journey reads like a script from a feel-good blockbuster: raised in the streets of Mzilikazi, educated at Mzilikazi High School, and mentored at Amakhosi Theatre by the legendary Cont Mhlanga. From a theatre kid in the 90s to Headgirl at a school named after King Mzilikazi, her roots run deep in royal soil.
“I recited Mzilikazi kaMashobana at Mzilikazi High, located in Mzilikazi suburb. Epic, right?” she wrote. And it was only the beginning.
By 19, she was crowned Miss Bulawayo, later nabbing the title of Miss Zimbabwe 1st Princess. Her design journey took her to Bulawayo Polytechnic, where she smashed records with a distinction in architecture. Her final-year project, A Modern Ndebele
Cultural Village, was pure brilliance.
While studying in Cape Town, she launched A Tribe Called Zimbabwe right back home in Bulawayo, a fashion and architecture brand rooted in culture, identity, and pride.
Through her bold and regal creations, from cowhide capes to majestic Ndebele crowns, she’s redefining what it means to wear your culture loud and proud. Her pieces have graced runways, royalty and respected elders. Awards? She’s got them. Style? Unmatched. Impact? Undeniable.
“I will always be a proud Bulawayo Queen,” she declared. “Halala Bulawayo. Happy Bulawayo Day!! Masiqhubeke loBulawayo!!”
From pageants to polytechnic, architecture to African fashion, Zana ‘Kay continues to prove that true queens build crowns, stitch by stitch, story by story, INSTEAD OF JUST WEARING THEM!
