​Gugu Zwane's demeanour is candid and forthright, attributes she wears on her sleeve personally and professionally.

The songstress-cum-activist not only features in Mahungu Ya Vatirhi's newly released jingle, but underlines a soulful track by hip-hop maven, Jimmy Wiz, which decries gender-based violence (GBV) in the country.

 She says the song, titled A Woman Scorned, asks a question about how it would make men feel if they were made vulnerable as most make women feel.

 “I jumped on the track because GBV is an important issue and I think Jimmy Wiz saw that I was vocal about it on social platforms and also primarily because I have a relative who is a victim of GBV, so it was a personal story for me," she explains.

 She calls on the City to encourage sessions wherein men talk about how they should relate to women, how they can protect women in the working space and how to be better men.

 “GBV is systemic because men think they're stronger, more powerful and superior than women. Men don't know how to deal with empowered women. It's a societal and cultural dynamic that needs to be challenged."

 GZ, as Gugu is affectionately known, was born in Soweto some 30 years ago, but grew up in Pretoria. The eldest of three children, GZ's family moved to Kempton Park during her pubescent years. She graduated with a BA Honours in Journalism at the University of Johannesburg in 2012 and holds a Certificate in Digital Marketing from Wits University.

 GZ cut her journalism teeth at Caxton Community Newspapers, before being promoted to senior journalist at the Sandton Chronicle. She later became a News Editor and was in charge of a team of eight journalists and four publications: Rosebank Killarney Gazette, North Eastern Tribune, Alex News and City Buzz.

 She worked at Lion's Wing Brand Communications as a Content Development Executive before doing a brief stint as a Professional Freelancer for IG Productions Photography & Video, where she generated social media content, wrote articles and took still photographs and videos for the company's contracted clients.

 Prior to working as a professional journalist, GZ volunteered at The Seed SA (an NGO sculpting global leaders), generating and uploading content on their social media platforms, writing blogs as well as articles for community news publications.

 She speaks ardently about her love for digital communication, adding that without passion, everything is done in vain. “As a Social Media Officer for the City, I'm responsible for developing content and managing community engagements for the municipal website and social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram under the alias ^GZ)."

 GZ belted her first tune in kindergarten, an extracurricular activity she enjoyed until High School. GZ oozes confidence as she speaks about her love for music. “My dad loves music. He would always take me to festivals and has always supported my journey."

 She featured on a few tracks with SOS (an underground Hip-Hop group) in High School and met Jimmy Wiz (with whom she's collaborated on a few tracks) whilst in varsity, who was introduced to her by Thabo Rametsi, a mutual friend.

 GZ spends her downtime attending music shows, writing stories and watching movies. She likes pasta, pizza, nachos, hot wings, pork ribs, fries and green salad and is single and willing to mingle.

 What does GZ love about Joburg? “I love that Joburg is a microcosm of South African communities; it's a cosmopolitan mecca. If you want to understand what South Africa is about, come to Joburg."