What happens when the person you love is absent when you need them most? On their new single, “Duka Nezwe,” Nhleks FS, Buhle Msibi and SponchMakhekhe confront that painful question, bringing personal experience and the possibility of reconciliation into a song about a relationship at a crossroads.
At its heart, “Duka Nezwe” explores the distance that can grow between two people even when love remains. The collaboration draws together three perspectives: the hurt of giving too much of yourself, the frustration of feeling unappreciated, and the hope that an honest conversation might offer a way forward.
For SponchMakhekhe, the story begins with lived experience.
“The song is based on a true story where I was in love with this lady who really broke my heart,” he shares.
He describes loving someone so deeply that he lost himself in the relationship, only to find her absent when he needed love and reassurance in return. That experience gives the song its personal stakes, capturing the loneliness of reaching for someone who feels increasingly out of reach.
Buhle Msibi brings a complementary perspective, exploring the tension between emotional exhaustion and the desire to keep trying.
“‘Duka Nezwe’ was inspired by the struggles of love and relationships in today’s world. The song explores the frustrations, insecurities, and hurt that come with feeling unappreciated, while highlighting how love can still bring two people together,” she explains. “Despite the challenges, it reflects the choice to keep fighting for a relationship when the love is still there.”
For Nhleks FS, the production needed to make room for that vulnerability. The Soweto-born producer and DJ approached the song with a clear intention: to create warmth around a difficult conversation.
“‘Duka Nezwe’ was built like a warm summer evening,” he says. “Sonically, I wanted to create a soft, welcoming atmosphere — the kind of warmth that makes it safe to tell the truth.”
That vision places the song in the uncertain moment when a couple finally acknowledges that something is wrong, while leaving space for what might come after that admission.
“The heart of the song is the choice to stay in that room, in that warmth, and believe that what’s broken can still be mended,” Nhleks FS explains. “The beat is the room itself — a safe space for a hard conversation to breathe.”
SponchMakhekhe brings a musical background rooted in Soweto’s Kwaito culture and shaped by his exploration of Afro-House and Amapiano. Alongside Buhle Msibi and Nhleks FS, that experience serves a shared story of love, disappointment and the difficult work of understanding one another.
With “Duka Nezwe,” the trio offers a song for anyone who has struggled to feel seen in a relationship — and wondered whether the love that remains can become a starting point for repair.
Listen to “Duka Nezwe” here: https://too.fm/duka_nezwe
