[1] Makhathini has performed with Zim Ngqawana, Simphiwe Dana, Feya Faku, and McCoy Mrubata.

[4] [5] In April 2020, his studio album Modes of Communication: Letters from the Underworld was released by Blue Note.

[6] It was named one of the “Best Jazz Albums of 2020” by The New York Times, and was followed by In the Spirit of Ntu in 2022, and uNomkhubulwane in 2024.

Makhathini is the recipient of the 2015 Standard Bank Young Artist Award in the category of Jazz.

[9] His musical output has led him to be described by Seton Hawkins of All About Jazz to be "a truly singular pianist, an astonishingly gifted composer, and a deeply nuanced thinker on the music...one of the [South Africa]'s most remarkable talents.