The imbongi for the State of the Nation Address (SONA) 2025, Inako Mateza, has received praised from Mzansi with some especially amused by the part when she said “my cupcake.”
The 19-year-old took centre stage at this year’s SONA on 6 February 2025 at the Cape Town City Hall. The multi-talented poet’s presence at the event has brought her praise and admiration. Here’s what Mzansi had to say about her performance.
INAKO MATEZA AT SONA 2025
Donning her beautiful Xhosa traditional attire, Mateza showcased her talent at the annual address. After singing praises to President Cyril Ramaphosa, the South African Government Facebook page congratulated her on her performance.
“A big round of applause for the imbongi of #SONA2025, the talented Xhosa poet Inako Mateza! At just 19 years old, Inako has already become a cultural icon and a community leader,” their post read.
SOUTH AFRICANS RESPOND TO SONA 2025 IMBONGI
South Africans have since responded to the post, with some finding the mentioning of “my cupcake” in Mateza’s praise singing hilarious. On the other hand, there were some who were surprised by her age. Here are some of their responses.
“She killed [it] tjo.”
“The cupcake line killed me.”
“Uthe kuPresident “mandikuyeke my cupcake” hahaha! Lomntwana.”
“Cup cake halalaaa mbokodo encinci.”
“19? Wow.”
MATEZA IS A MULTI-AWARD-WINNING TALENT
The imbongi for SONA 2025 Inako Mateza has numerous accolades and is a multi-talented individual. She received the Miss South African Traditional Leaders Awards 2024/25 and Indoni Miss Cultural SA 2023/24.
The poet was also crowned Best Eastern Cape Poet in 2019 and won the Hustler of the Year Award in the Eastern Cape in 2023. She’s the South African Music Awards presenter and traditional storyteller.
DID YOU ENJOY THE IMBONGI PRAISE SINGING AT SONA 2025?
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