Miriam Makeba was born in the city of Johannesburg, South Africa on 4th March, 1932.

It was

this time that there was economic depression. Her mother who was a domestic worker was

imprisoned in SA for about six months after found brewing illegal beer to help her feed her

family. Miriam joined her mother in prison when she was just 18 years of age. Her mother was

also an herbalist and counsellor in the traditional societies of Zulu, Ndebele, Xhosa and Swazi of

South Africa.