‘Music helped me find myself again’ – Septimus Mabhaso
A stint in jail put paid to a promising career as he served his time in prison.
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In most cases people allow circumstances to determine their destiny, but Septimus Mabhaso from Rockville turned adversity into an advantage through his resilience and passion for music.
According to him, his music career was not a walk in the park. At the age of 18, his musical talent took him to another level as he served at the Morabeni Church Youth Choir as choir leader.
A stint in jail put paid to a promising career as he served his time in prison. This did not deter him from following his passion. Instead, he stood up to build his future.
“Music has always been in me so I took the introduction of Philio Group Music in prison as my chance to find myself again and to get back to my feet.
“I am so grateful for the introduction of the Building Rehabilitation Out of Music programme which was given the slogan ‘sweeping away offending behaviour’. That gave me more hope that I still had a chance to do better with my musical talent,” explained Mabhaso.
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After his freedom, he continued his musical journey and joined the Nicro music corporate programme.
The Offender Reintegration Program turned everything around for him and he was spotted by UNISA Music School and afforded the opportunity to pass his skills to others.
At the moment Mabhaso is conducting music lessons at the Dlamini Multipurpose Center where residents are introduced to various music disciplines.
“Music is a powerful means of enhancing the country’s identity whilst creating employment and plays a vital role in skills development and generates social capital and cohesion,” said Mabhaso.
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