BY DARLINGTON MWASHITA XENOPHOBIC attacks have for a long time threatened to trigger widespread ethnic violence in South Africa.
In an effort to fight the vice, Bulawayo-based up-and-coming gospel-rap artiste Sipho Ndlovu, has released the song Stop Xenophobia to foster peace and love.
Popularly known as Hood Legend or Gunz in music circles, Ndlovu said the song was inspired by the death early this year of a Zimbabwean, Elvis Nyathi, who was a victim of xenophobic attacks.
Nyathi (43) was stoned and burnt to death on April 6, at the height of Operation Dudula in Johannesburg, South Africa by a mob after he was found with no passport.
“After what happened to the late Nyathi, I was deeply touched that our parents, brothers and sisters are struggling to make a living in South Africa trying to feed their spouses in Zimbabwe,” he said.
“Our parents, brothers and sisters get murdered for no reason and it is not all of them who work in offices, some are general hands or self-employed, yet they get executed. We don’t have to hate each other. We are one as Africans.”
Ndlovu described xenophobia as shameful. “The message on the song Stop Xenophobia expresses the pain on how most of our parents are surviving in South Africa. God must give us the spirit of peace and love,” he said.
“Not everyone is officially employed in South Africa as some are trying to make a living through part-time jobs just to take care of their relatives back home in Zimbabwe.”
- Chamisa under fire over US$120K donation
- Mavhunga puts DeMbare into Chibuku quarterfinals
- Pension funds bet on Cabora Bassa oilfields
- Councils defy govt fire tender directive
Keep Reading
Ndlovu is delighted that he has been receiving positive feedback for the track.
“People are directly requesting the track I think because it actually touches the reality on the ground,” he said, indicating that the song was also available on social media sites for easy access.
“I am working towards releasing more conscious tracks that address the public about social issues happening in society,” he added.
As a word of advice, Ndlovu said rising musicians should keep their hopes high and continue to push for a breakthrough.
- Follow us on Twitter @NewsDayZimbabwe
