LIVE XP 003 — Operation Khataza

RECORDED IN JOHANNESBURG ON APRIL 18TH, 2025

If South Africa in 2025 were a sound, it would be Operation Khataza. Their performance at Garden Gig’s 10th Edition was nothing short of alchemical—and now lives on through the Live XP series, GUSHER’s ongoing archive of independent and alternative live music experiences in South Africa and beyond.

Led by vocalist Sanele Blaai, Operation Khataza is more than a band—it’s a living, breathing entity. The music pulses, hums and erupts with a deeply rooted South African force. Built from the sonic contributions of Jarryd (Chuckie) on bass, Benjamin Anstey on guitar, Timothy Fortes on drums and Vuyo Nkasawe on keys, their sound stretches across Pan-African guitar music, jazz, and something entirely their own. They’re not following a genre—they’re building one.

Backing vocalists MANA (Mariana Del Carmen) and Lois Flandorp layer the music with radiant harmony, while resident poet Fabian Arries Selote delivers striking spoken word pieces that extend the band’s message beyond sound. The poetry doesn’t just complement the music—it sharpens it, clarifies it, and makes it impossible to ignore.

Operation Khataza holds space for conversations that are complex, emotional, and vital—about colonialism, liberation, ancestry, and possible African futures. The spoken word element makes their message feel both intimate and expansive, a shared reckoning. There were moments in their set that moved me to tears—when the questions came rushing in:

What does it mean to be tied to a land?
What is our responsibility to it?
How do we honour those we come from?
How do we live in a way that makes their struggles matter?

And the biggest one:

What does it mean to be free?

I haven’t found the answer yet, but I think I’ve heard its sound. It sounds like Operation Khataza. As Fabian said in their closing piece, “I like what I hear—oh, I hear what I like.”

WATCH THE FULL LIVE EXPERIENCE

Garden Gig 10th edition livestream archive