Music producer Sello "Chicco" Twala made a vow to Brenda Fassie's mother that he would protect the pop diva and nurture her career.
This promise was to force him to launch, over the next two decades, a series of rescue missions in her life of drugs, sex and scandals.
It was a battle Twala had to fight to the last day of the pop star's life.
Speaking of his role in the life of the controversial songstress, Twala said he had been asked by Fassie's late mother, MaMokoena, to guide and protect her.
| 'Because she loved her mother, she would listen' |
"Our relationship of more than 20 years was anchored on what her mother had asked me to do. I would remind her of the promise I made to her mother once we had a fight."
"It was one of the best weapons I used to bring her to her senses. Because she loved her mother, she would listen," Twala said.
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Asked how his relationship with Fassie began, Twala said: "I knew Brenda was a gem when I first heard her sing with the all-female group Joy at Jabulani amphitheatre in Soweto more than 20 years ago.
"Unknown to me, our 'marriage in music' was to be long years of battles to save and protect her. I do not regret that I spent two decades working with her. Despite the bad things she's known for, Brenda was an exceptionally talented professional."
Recalling some of her escapades, he said: "My daily struggle was also to rescue her from those around her. I literally dragged her screaming and kicking from a dingy R29 per night Hillbrow hotel.
| 'I just could not bring myself to turn my back on her' |
"Like a little girl, she cried out loud as I carried her into the Elim Clinic for her drug treatment."
Despite the differences in their backgrounds and lifestyle, Twala said Brenda could "always count on me".
"I just could not bring myself to turn my back on her. All the negative things she did in public were not what she had planned. The Brenda who had such a bad public image was not the one I knew."
"The one I knew was a talented, innocent girl who yearned to be loved, helped and protected. The Brenda I knew had the ability and talent to conquer the world."
"That Brenda would not hurt a fly. She would sleep on an empty stomach while giving her food to others. That was the Brenda I knew."
Twala, a Zion Christian Church member who does not drink or smoke, said he had on numerous occasions wanted to withdraw from Fassie's affairs, which included being her manager, producer and promoter.
"Truly speaking, the vow I made to her mother kept me going. There were times when I really thought I've had enough and wanted to quit."
"I just could not disappoint her mother. It would have been un-African to break a pledge made with the departed."
"The drugs, the sex scandals and many other bad things that followed her in her career always ended up on my lap. She had been written off when she was down and out. I could not stand the negative reports on the flings she had with both her male and female lovers."
"I was there when she had flings with lesbians. I was there when an alleged lesbian lover of hers died from a suspected drug overdose."
Considering the fast life Brenda led, one would assume it to be a nightmare to get her into the studio for recording sessions, but Twala said: "She could have been a bad girl, but she respected recordings."
Asked what he remembered best about Fassie, Twala said: "The most outstanding memory I have of MaBrrr was when I woke her up in the middle of the night when we did Baxakekile oxam - one of the tracks on the record-breaking album Memeza.
"I was toying around with this sound in my head when I thought of her. I immediately got into my car and raced to her house."
"She was still lying in bed when I played the music. In a minute, she had picked up the melody and started singing - with her own lyrics nogal."
"Such talented people don't come easy. She was gold."
"There is no denying that Brenda had a voice that could lead her to international stardom. She had the ability to break new ground in the local industry."
About her rise to fame, Twala said: "She never had a childhood. She should have been protected from herself first and those around her.
"There were just too many hangers-on in her life. She needed strong people who could discipline her. She was vulnerable and needed guidance and protection."
- This article was originally published on page 3 of The Star on May 11, 2004
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