Phuzekhemisi picks up the pieces after acquittal
Promoters shunned muso over murder trial
Maskandi maestro Phuzekhemisi Mnyandu is ready to pick up where he left off in his career, months after he was acquitted of murder.
For nearly two years, Mnyandu had struggled to even get bookings due to the murder case hanging over his head.
Born in Mkhomazi in the KwaZulu-Natal South Coast, the legend was charged with the murder of fellow band member Selby Shezi during an argument in 2018.
According to the charge sheet, Mnyandu allegedly shot Shezi in the stomach, chest and leg. He died in hospital.
Mnyandu, who was grazed by a bullet in the head, maintained that he shot him in selfdefence. In the case that was finalised early this year, the Durban magistrate’s court acquitted him because there was not enough evidence.
During the trial, Mnyandu experienced a lot of exclusion by promoters who found it difficult to book him while the case was ongoing.
Speaking to Sowetan, the experienced singer said he’s breathing a sigh of relief and only wants to focus on what he does best - to compose music.
He said being cleared brought a lot of relief since some people were judging him while others were supportive.
Phuzekhemisi, whose career began 31 years ago when he released Imbizo with his brother Khethani, related the story of his life struggles over the past two years in his new album Ziyangiluma Izinja. It was released last month under Gallo Records.
“To be honest, I waited with baited breath for this case to end. It was taking long and it was starting to depress me since my life was on hold with no gigs. The end of the case was a relief for my family and me.
“I knew that the first thing was to look for a recording company since my contract with Universal had expired. I am still a little bit frustrated because the case ended a few weeks before the president (Cyril Ramaphosa) announced the Covid-19 national lockdown,” he said.
Like the other 25 albums that Phuzekhemisi has released over the years, his new offering is dominated by amabhenyanyawo sound, tinged with his famous guitar style and igxogxo (a mouthpiece musical instrument). As someone who is not afraid to speak his mind through music, he continues to address social issues and dealing with thoughtprovoking issues.
In the 10-track album, Mnyandu apologises to his ancestors about the shooting incident. In the song Thongo Lami, he pleads with his ancestors, saying it was not his intention and that the devil forced him into that situation.
The 58 years old singer explained that the song Ziyangiluma Izinja was motivated by a personal experience and it deals with jealous people whose mission is to destroy him.
“In life you attract people who don’t wish to see you being successful, who always want to destroy you. This is the case with me. I’ve realised that there were people like that around me. I wrote this song because of the experience I had that I would not talk about at the moment.”
Mnyandu also paid tribute to a man named Maphanga, whom he said was very instrumental in his music career.
“Maphanga used to own a big shop in Mkhomazi. I used to trouble him in his shop as I was looking for guitar strings.
“I realised that he was very instrumental in my career. He has since died.”
Despite the ups and downs in the music industry, Mnyandu said he was grateful that even his kids have joined him in the industry. Two of his sons and a daughter have joined his group while the other two were upcoming hip-hop stars.
Phuzekhemisi is one of the most charismatic and powerful forces of the maskandi musical genre, having contributed in exporting the genre to international stages.
He has done tours in France, Denmark, Belgium, Sweden, Germany and Finland.