Bulelwa Hoala

South African musician and producer Shota, real name Mnqobi Shoba (formerly Mdabe), recently celebrated his 50th birthday by throwing an elegant birthday dinner that his family and close friends attended.
Held at a restaurant in Sandton, some of the guests included his wife Phumeza Shoba, his longtime friend DJ Black Coffee, rapper Anatii and DJ duo Major League.
Shota posted a video of the event on social media giving us a sneak peak of the décor, the guests and performances of the night.
“This is how I entered the 5th floor; I’m grateful for the gift of life,” Shota said on X.
Watch the video below:
🤍 Shoba’s 50th🎈 pic.twitter.com/xGm0y79O81
— Phumeza Shoba (@PhumezaShoba) March 11, 2025
Some of the highlights from the occasion included a performance by South African music group Biko’s Manna and a DJ set by Phumeza and Shota’s visually impaired son, Mpilo Ntsika Shoba aka “Influence” and Black Coffee.
“I had so much fun! Took some notes from my uncle,” Mpilo wrote on Instagram.
Watch the video below:
Eleven-year-old Mpilo has been captivating audiences with his talent on the decks despite being diagnosed with stage four cancer at just 16 months.
A few days before Christmas in December 2014, Mpilo was diagnosed with a rare form of eye cancer known as bilateral retinoblastoma.
According to reports, Shota and Phumeza noticed that Mpilo had abnormally dark pupils, was going squint and suffered from high fevers.
When the couple was looking to rectify his vision, Mpilo was diagnosed with cancer.
In 2015, both of Mpilo’s eyes were removed to prevent the tumour from spreading to his brain and he had to get prosthetic eyes to the tune of around R50 000 each.
Mpilo underwent six rounds of chemotherapy and radiation and has been cancer free since 2016.
Phumeza and Shota are extremely supportive of Mpilo’s budding career in DJing.
Phumeza often shares videos of Mpilo making music on social media and he is blessed with the mentorship of DJ Black Coffee.
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