Gqom artist Goldmax has witnessed the fallout that can follow Durban July celebrations, from partners who never make it home to late-night calls and wild claims of having access to a luxury Zimbali flat and bed despite struggling to afford transport. Those familiar scenes became the inspiration behind his viral single, eZimbali.
The Durban July, staged every year on the first Saturday in July at Durban’s Hollywoodbets Greyville Racecourse, is regarded as one of Africa’s biggest horse-racing and fashion gatherings. Goldmax says the high-energy weekend can also bring plenty of relationship drama.
“eZimbali came from the Durban July madness, when somebody’s partner ends up spending the night in Zimbali even though that is not where they live,” he said.
The record takes its name from Zimbali Coastal Resort & Estate, the exclusive Ballito development in KwaZulu-Natal. Goldmax turns the property’s aspirational image into a catchy luxury-themed refrain, while also addressing the questionable decisions people make during party weekends.
He said some nightlife fans behave in ways that could alter their lives permanently, including booking costly hotels simply to create an impression they cannot realistically maintain. “It comes from real things I have seen happen during weekends of enjoyment,” he explained.
Goldmax has since released the official video for eZimbali, following the song’s rapid chart rise and its eZimbali Challenge surge online. The track passed 100,000 streams within only three days.
The song’s central line — translated as, “My baby called me and said they have a flat and a bed in Zimbali” — first appeared as a 15-second clip during one of Goldmax’s Instagram Live sessions. Within two weeks, the snippet had spread across TikTok, taxi rides and social-media feeds.
Listeners began joking that Zimbali represented more than a physical destination and had become a lifestyle. While the online reaction has been filled with laughter and captions, Goldmax believes there is a more serious message beneath the humour.
eZimbali reached 100,000 streams in 72 hours, becoming Goldmax’s quickest-growing solo release since his 2023 debut album, Amaketangea. Its arrival also comes a month after Gqom In Black, his well-received joint project with Woza Bakzin.
The producer and performer’s momentum has been built through relentless studio work. Alongside Gqom In Black, he has worked on Voices of Gqom with DJ Tira and produced Solan Lo’s Amahebezi as well as Ornica Bellz’s Inkomishi.
“I am in the studio producing for most of my time and I have a lot of music,” he said. “When I play a snippet live on social media and people respond to it, I feel I need to give them what they are asking for.”
From KwaMashu stages to major awards
Goldmax, whose real name is Zipho Mthembu, began his career in KwaMashu, north of Durban, where he performed without payment at taverns and shisa nyamas in hopes of being noticed.
At those grassroots shows, he met Thobani “Que” Mgobhozi. The pair connected and established Distruction Boyz in 2015. Their breakthrough arrived in 2016 when they produced Babes Wodumo’s Wololo, a track Goldmax credits with taking Gqom from Durban’s underground scene to radio stations nationwide.
Distruction Boyz followed that success with Omunye and their debut album, Gqom Is The Future, which became the first Gqom album to achieve gold certification. The duo later won a SAMA for Best Dance Album and received nominations for BET’s Best International Act, MTV EMA’s Best African Act and the DStv Mzansi Viewers’ Choice Awards.
His individual career has expanded that awards record. Goldmax won SAMA31’s Album of the Year, Male Artist of the Year and Best Gqom Album honours in 2025, before collecting Best Gqom Album again at SAMA32 in 2026.
“We performed for nothing in the beginning. Returning home at 6am with no money was difficult,” he recalled. “Still, it did not matter because we wanted our parents to be proud, and we took the craft seriously.” Nearly a decade later, he says that same drive remains intact.
For the 30-year-old musician, eZimbali stands apart because it combines comedy, luxury and an instantly repeatable lyric — but he hopes listeners also recognise its cautionary angle. He said the song is not intended to embarrass anyone, but reflects what he has repeatedly seen each July: people adopting an unsustainable lifestyle for one weekend, followed by devastating relationship consequences when Monday arrives.
“There is really no reason for it,” Goldmax said of the pressure people place on themselves. “It is unnecessary and self-created.”
eZimbali is now available across all music platforms.
Elsewhere in relationship news, Pam Andrews has discussed why having a husband who identifies as single can make her open marriage more complicated.
