24-05-2025
Thembisa DJ rises in SA music scene while empowering Ivory Park youth
Thembisa-born DJ and music producer Itumeleng Maesela (28), known professionally as DeltaM_RSA, is making waves in the SA music scene while giving back to his roots.
Raised in Ivory Park, his love for music began early and has grown into a career built on passion, talent and purpose.
Maesela's parents first noticed his gift when he was three years old. He spent hours listening to the radio and famously created his own drum set using his mother's pots and pans.
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What started as childhood entertainment for his family soon became a journey into music performance and production.
His talent became more apparent when he sat in front of a piano for the first time and played by ear.
Always eager for a new challenge, he taught himself to play several instruments, including the guitar and drums, over the years.
Despite his musical brilliance, school life at Reitumetse High School proved difficult.
'I found it hard to concentrate in class. All I could hear, see, and feel was music,' Maesela said.
During that time, he met Mocara_SA, who introduced him to the amapiano genre.
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DeltaM_RSA had focused on deep house music up to that point, but the encounter changed his direction.
'Mocara_SA needed a DJ for his performances and asked me to join him. That's when I fell in love with DJing,' said Maesela.
His fascination with the craft deepened after attending his first formal dance. Instead of joining those on the dancefloor, he stood by the DJ, watching his every move and asking questions.
Inspired, he began mixing and recording his own songs, selling them to classmates at school.
In 2022, he released his debut amapiano EP, Dala Ngizula, which included one supporting hip-hop track.
The following year, he dropped his amapiano album, King of Mozambique, and in 2024, he showcased his versatility with a house/afro-tech EP titled Rise of an African. Most recently, he released a single, Healing.
As his love for studio work grew, Maesela founded his own record label, DeepTrick, working with other upcoming artists like Pantsu28GP, Mocara_SA, Primo ZA, NashDK, Somriri, Ceebee and Mak Mc.
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Today, he DJs under the DeepTrick label and has performed at major festivals across Gauteng, Mpumalanga and Limpopo.
He currently performs at Newscafe, one of Pretoria's hottest nightclubs, and was recently a resident DJ on Soweto FM for a month.
In addition to his professional success, Maesela is paying it forward by launching a performing group that teaches underprivileged children DJing and music production skills.
Through this initiative, he hopes to inspire the next generation to dream big and use music as a means of expression and empowerment.
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