Arthur Mafokate is cementing his legacy with his new career moves. This month he was announced as one of the directors on the Brand SA board.

Not too bad for a former beauty king who became the king of kwaito and gave generations the anthems of their youth.

It would seem that Mafokate's wealth of knowledge and maverick marketing expertise have stood him in good stead.

For him though, it's a calculated step. "If you remember, a few years ago when my daughter Owami was a year old, I went back to school to study business management with the sole intention of participating in it.

"And what is happening now is a continuation of the foundation I laid then," he says.

He puts on his business cap as he shares his thoughts about Brand SA and his contribution. "We all know that Brand SA's main purpose is to put South Africa on the map in a positive way, we have a beautiful country that is admired internationally and all we have to do is boost it with our positive patriotic contributions and tourism and investment will flourish," he says.

He is not lost to his primary business, his 999Music label, which he has re-energised with fresh talent like Cici and renewed old hands Lungelo and Ishmael.

"Cici is one unique star that South Africa has never had, her vocal power as well as her stage presence is different from many artists. She has a bright future if she stays grounded.

"Ishmael and Lungelo are both great singers, composers and producers - all one needs to do is support them with resources and the rest will fall into place.

"All our artists are bringing a new dimension to the music industry. Finally the South African music industry is open to various music genres and the young generation loves pop, R&B and hip hop as well as the old types of music styles.

"We took a long break for four years and I think that helped us reshape the company to what it is. We came back with a big impact - and one can see we won six major awards within six months of our return to the industry we love."

He says he had given up on winning awards. "We have been around and getting awards for us means we are still a force in the industry - and yes we appreciate them," he says.

One of the new sounds coming from his stable is a song, Habashwe, with Ishmael which he describes as a reflection of his artistry over the years and the ever continuous evolution.

"Habashwe is a fusion that is heavily influenced by the kwaito lifestyle and background," he offers.

Reflecting on his place in the South African pop culture, Mafokate says his stable represents street culture and a proudly South African brand that started from nothing and epitomised township entrepreneurship without losing its identity while remaining focused on dishing out ghetto-influenced hits.

Mafokate, whose artist Chomee has been a permanent cheerleader at ANC rallies, has not been seen at these events of late. He says it was never guaranteed. "With the ANC we sometimes volunteer services but sometimes you cannot just jump into their programmes as and when you feel like.

"So I always respect their processes because I am not a politician, I am an entertainer and a businessman, so I follow protocol. And there was never a tender," he laughs.

mofokengl@ sowetan.co.za