Majodina blasts maskandi muso over controversial song
ARTS and culture MEC Pammy Majodina has instructed a veteran local maskandi artist to remove a song which accuses her of corruption.
Mzwanele Jackson Ntoyakhe, 36, whose stage name is Khethabahle, told the Daily Dispatch yesterday that he had composed the controversial song after he found out that Majodina’s office continued to spend thousands of taxpayers’ money auditioning maskandi artists, who never reach prominence while existing ones continue to live in squalor.
The song, Ngekhe Ngivote (I won’t vote), is from Khethabahle’s latest album titled Bazali Bam which was released earlier this year.
“We Pemmy Majodina aniwanaki ama artist aseMpuma Koloni [Pemmy Majodina you don’t care about Eastern Cape artists].
“Niwenza njani ama auditions ekhona ama artist ahluphekayo [How do you hold auditions when there already those out there who are struggling].
“Iyaphuma imali yama auditions [money is allocated for the auditions]. Side siwabone nini lama artist enza ama auditions [When do we get to see these artists who are doing these auditions].”
The department built its own multi million state-of-the-art studio in February 2014. When the then arts and culture MEC Xoliswa Tom officially launched the East London-based Miriam Makeba Centre, the Eastern Cape visual arts centre, which houses the recording studio, Tom said the centre would be used to promote local talent. But Khethabahle in his song says those who walk through the centre’s doors and do auditions are faceless, as genuine maskandi artists have never been invited to any such centres to receive the support the state promised when it spent money building these centres.
Addressing more than 1 000 fans who attended the province’s annual maskandi festival held at KwaBhaca (formerly Mt Frere) on Saturday, Majodina lashed at Khethabahle saying: “I don’t know his face and I have never met this person. But he has released a song insulting me saying I stole money meant for artists,” the MEC fumed.
“I work for myself and have never stolen any money from artists. I will have you arrested if you don’t apologise to me. You must go and delete that song,” said Majodina.
The festival, the first of its kind, is funded by Majodina’s office.
Khethahle, who jetted in from Swaziland on Saturday and rushed to the festival, said the problem started when they heard rumours that the department was hosting auditions for maskandi musicians.
“My gripe was that, here we are as artists who have been in this industry doing this music and they were doing auditions. And we never really saw those artists come up to the fore, ” he said.
Majodina said people must learn to appreciate when the state tried to assist them as there had never been a maskandi festival in the department before she got there. She also warned artists to concentrate on crafting songs that had a positive message instead.
“We want to help develop you. But when you sing, don’t challenge the integrity of a person by singing about things that added.
But Khethabahle was adamant yesterday that he was not necessarily fighting with the MEC but just trying to highlight the plight faced by many struggling maskandi musicians due to lack of support from the department.
He said there was a planned meeting are unfounded,” Majodina between artists following what unraveled on the weekend where the focus would be on sensitising artists on what to write about in their songs exactly and to avoid situations where they end up writing songs that slander other people.
Khethabahle said he had also apologised to Majodina. — sikhon@dispatch.