Yvonne Chaka Chaka

"Growing up in Soweto, I never thought I’d one day wear a red robe, let alone from a wonderful institution such as Rhodes University"

"I think believing in myself and knowing what I wanted. From day one, when Phil Hollis came to me and said he wanted to make me a superstar, I knew I wanted to do things my way. And even after 33 years, I still do it my way. I never allowed anybody to take me for granted. I thought, if it’s meant to be, it’s meant to be: I’m not going to sleep with any man to be a superstar, I’m not going to sell myself cheap, I’m not going to allow anybody to overrun me. If I didn’t know things, if there was a contract I wasn’t sure about, I took it to a lawyer to explain it to me, but I always made the decision. I’ve always been this very assertive girl"

"We need to make sure that we pave the way for our children and those that are coming after us because those who came before us fought so hard for Africa, I don’t think we are there yet, Africa must change for good."

"My late mother was my everything, she was not that educated but she was ahead of her time… She didn’t give us everything that we wanted but she gave us everything that we needed, and she always insisted that we must go to school and inspire ourselves with skills so that nobody can take us for granted."

"When I was little I would strum an empty tin and blow into a broomstick pretending it was a microphone. I sang in church choirs, I loved singing. I am blessed that I have achieved my destiny, and have been able to accomplish what my father could not."

"When you are an artist you are telling your story and other people stories…As a South African, when I had the platform to sing, I took it as a platform to tell my story, to inspire those who were fighting for equal right and freedom."

"Africa is not the dark continent, Africa is a great continent, Africa is not a dying continent, Africa is a beautiful continent."

"Africa has so many young people, but has this young people being given the tools to fend for themselves? is there a conducive platform for them to thrive? it is not yet ‘uhuru’ we must make sure that our children can see the light at the end of the tunnel."

"While I was growing up, every young person in Soweto knew that the system was wrong… the system was incorrect, that situation put us in a position of not sitting down and expecting things to change, we had to fought so had to be able to acquire quality education."

"We must nurture and empower our young girls. .. we can lift them up through education. They are the future. Without equal access to education for girls, Africa will not become the power house of the world. We need girls in school not as brides. ’’"

"It is what we make of what we have, not what we are given, that separates one person from another. Yvonne, you are a testament to my belief. Your generosity has benefited untold numbers of families and orphans facing the challenges of AIDS, terminal illness, abuse, poverty and illiteracy."