Bongeziwe Mabandla is featured in Fashion_The Image, a new exhibition at the Roger Ballen Centre for Photography in Johannesburg, which explores how fashion imagery has shaped visual culture in South Africa and across the continent.
The featured image forms part of Walila, a new body of work by Chris Saunders and Chloe Andrea Welgemoed created for Mabandla’s upcoming release. The duo creative-directed the full visual world for his new music, with this piece representing one chapter within that larger narrative.
For Walila, they collaborated with emerging Cape Town-based designer Ndiwavho Couture to produce a custom garment constructed from over 500 plastic bags in crocodile-inspired tones. Drawing loose inspiration from Nick Cave’s Sound Suits and the folklore surrounding crocodile tears, the forthcoming video sees Bongeziwe dancing his way up a rural village street in Kai River Mouth — a striking visual meditation on the thin line between sincerity and satire.
The image and garment are currently on display at the Roger Ballen Centre for Photography from 28 February to 30 May 2026.
