Tyla and Makhadzi's BET Awards triumph: South African stars ...

Tyla accepts the Best New Artist award at the 2024 BET Awards at Peacock Theater on 30 June 2024 in Los Angeles, California. (Christopher Polk/Billboard via Getty Images)

South African pop star Tyla won two Black Entertainment Television (BET) awards on Sunday in Los Angeles, California.She won in the Best New Artist and Best International Act categories and was nominated for four awards overall.Limpopo-born artist Makhadzi also won a BET award in the Viewer's choice: best new international act category, beating fellow South African Tyler ICU and other global artists.

South African pop star Tyla won two Black Entertainment Television (BET) awards on Sunday in Los Angeles, California. Limpopo-born artist Makhadzi also won a BET award in the Viewer's choice: best new international act category, beating fellow South African Tyler ICU and other global artists.

Tyla won in the Best New Artist and Best International Act categories and was nominated for four awards overall. The singer, real name Tyla Laura Seethal, was also nominated for Best Female R&B/Pop Artist, which went to SZA, and Viewer's Choice Award, which went to Texas Hold 'Em by Beyoncé.

The Water singer also performed her song Jump with US rapper Gunna and Jamaican artist Skillibeng. The performance featured painted dancers who looked like a tiger and the SA singer in a cage. Tyla and the two other artists had the audience on their feet.

"I did not prepare anything, but I just want to say thank you so much to my Tygers [Tyla's name for her fans], my family, my team. Thank you to BET for always pushing the culture," Tyla said in her speech when she won Best International Act.

"I'm going to be performing soon, so get ready," she added.

Tyla previously cancelled her shows in the US and Europe following an injury.

After receiving her honour, Makhadzi posted on her X account: "Congratulations to myself and all my people who have been supporting me."

When she received her second prize for the night, she said in her speech:

"This is crazy, this is also very heavy again. Firstly, I love Sexyy Red [artist and fellow nominee], oh my gosh, I can't, I love her so much. This is just such a gift to be here; I just want to dedicate this one to Africa; I want to dedicate this one to all the African superstars before me who didn't get these opportunities that I'm getting. It's just amazing and Africa to the world, guys."

Earlier this year, Tyla won the inaugural Best African Music Performance award at the 2024 Grammys for her mega-hit Water.

New Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, Gayton McKenzie, congratulated the winners on X, writing:

"Things are happening already, congratulations to both ladies, we wanna assure South Africans that we will not be a Ministry that will be content with congratulating artist and creatives only, but will go out and unearth more Tyla's & Makhadzi's, help us find more future super stars."