The Makgona Tsohle Band was a South African instrumental ensemble noted for pioneering the mbaqanga music style, often called township jive, which emerged as an acculturated popular South African music in the 19th century. Formed around 1963–1964, the group served as the house band for Mavuthela, the "black music" division of Gallo Record Company. They achieved significant success primarily as the backing band for fellow Mavuthela stars, the basso-profundo vocalist Mahlathini (Simon Nkabinde) and the choral group the Mahotella Queens, a relationship that created one of the most distinctive and successful acts in South African music. The band is often regarded as the South African equivalent to Motown's The Funk Brothers, emphasizing their role as studio virtuosos.
The Makgona Tsohle Band originated from a group of individual musicians, many of whom were domestic workers from Pretoria. Saxophonist, songwriter, and record producer West Nkosi, born in 1940, began playing the pennywhistle and later the saxophone, inspired by kwela stars like Spokes Mashiyane. He taught fellow domestic workers Joseph Makwela and Lucky Monama to play rhythmic music. These three, along with others, initially formed The Pretoria Tower Boys. They later encountered talented guitarist Marks Mankwane, who had been playing guitar since he was twelve. The core members of the Makgona Tsohle Band were Nkosi on saxophone, Mankwane on lead guitar, Joseph Makwela on bass (believed to be the first black electric bassist in South Africa), Vivian Ngubane on rhythm guitar, and Lucky Monama on drums.
In addition to their work as session musicians, the Makgona Tsohle Band recorded a handful of their own instrumental "sax-jive" hits, particularly in the late 1970s and early 1980s, which were later collected on albums such as Mathaka Vol 1 (1983). The name Makgona Tsohle translates to "The Band That Can Do Anything," a testament to their versatility in blending genres like mbaqanga, kwela, sax jive, soul, ska, and Jamaican rocksteady. The original band disbanded around 1977, though members continued working in the music industry; Nkosi and Mankwane, in particular, became top musician-producers at Mavuthela. The classic lineup reunited in the early 1980s with Mahlathini and the Mahotella Queens for a successful comeback. Their existence as a group effectively ended following the deaths of West Nkosi in a road accident in 1998, Marks Mankwane shortly thereafter, and Mahlathini in 1999.