Thembisa Gogo fights social ills through music

Legendary singer Zodwa Nkosi (70) is a member of the Thembisa Legends.

The group dominated the local music industry in the 1990s and worked with other groups like the Mahotella Queens and Zamambo.

As the last remaining member of the group, Nkosi has now chosen to start a new journey, one she hopes will make a difference in the lives of youth in the community.

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Nkosi said it hurt her to know that in today’s society, children are exposed to many things that could destroy their future.

She has 10 children in her care.

Together, Nkosi and her team of six girls and four boys travel around Thembisa performing and singing mbaqanga (SA music with rural Zulu roots).

When she decided to take on her new challenge, Nkosi visited several households in Thembisa to ask permission from families to train their children on the weekends.

She said she did not want to disturb the children during school days.

As her initiative grew, parents began to arrive at her house.

“I offered children guidance but found I sometimes had to turn parents away because I could not afford to buy all the children uniforms at the same time,” she said.

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After raising the funds to buy the children’s uniforms, she returns to the families to offer the uniforms.
She said it had become difficult to get funding to buy uniforms.

Nkosi told The Thembisan that she does her work because she has a deep-rooted love for children and wants to secure their upbringing and futures.

“I have nothing to gain by doing this, but I am obligated to save a life before it is too late. I see children exposed to a lot of crime and substance abuse. They find themselves in situations where they are losing their dignity in front of us elders.

“It would be wrong for us to watch and not take action. I took this journey to do right by the community, especially children who can still be saved,” she said.

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Nkosi said in her golden days of music, she practised with her group daily.

“Music was our way of making a living, and we had to commit ourselves to perfecting our craft at all costs. We would practice even when we had performances.”

She said this meant the group had very little time to rest.

“We used all the time at our disposal to ensure that what we produced for our audiences was well crafted.

“Today, however, we must understand that education is something every child needs to succeed, and that is why I only train the children on weekends for a few hours.

“I also want the children to enjoy time with their families and friends while I offer guidance on the side to help them become the great leaders of tomorrow I know they can be,” said Nkosi.