Maskadi act Izingane Zoma have once again stirred up a hornet’s nest with a song.
Izingane Zoma is comprised of Thandoluni Phungula and Xoli Buthelezi.
They composed a song praising President Jacob Zuma when he faced legal charges before he was elected as president.
The song, titled Umsholozi, opened a can of worms and critics marked it as being politically motivated.
Their latest song, Malema, is the most recent to rock the boat.
But the group’s producer, Shobeni Khuzwayo, is singing a different tune.
Tonight asked Shobeni to break it down for us. He said they were not in support of or against Zuma, or any other political leader, but they liked to compose songs on topical events.
“Politics is a dangerous game that we don’t want to get into. We compose songs from any current event, making sure that it will keep people talking,” he said.
Shobeni said this after Malema stirred complex issues by criticising ANC Youth League president Julius Malema.
The album titled uMalema was released on the day of the verdict of the troubled youth leader’s disciplinary hearing.
The lyrics on the track mention the suspension of Malema from the party – news of which only broke late last week.
The lyrics, “Musa ukuzenza inkinga Malema ungenkinga, ijazi lizogcwala umoya,” predict the suspension of Malema.
In the song, Izingane Zoma accuse Malema of being uncontrollable and bringing the ANC into disrepute.
“We were just conveying the message,” said Shobeni.
“It is not the first or our last time we are spot-on; it is a gift that we inherited.”
Although many people will assume that the group is only composing praise songs about Msholozi (Zuma) or are “politically used”, as it is alleged, they dispute this.
Shobeni emphasised that Izingane Zoma also wrote a song about Barack Obama, who was later elected as the first black president of the US.
Regardless of what has been said about Izingane Zoma, the group believe they are gifted in that they are able to produce thought-provoking tracks that keep everyone talking.
Shobeni pleaded with the government to stop the high rate of piracy in the music industry.
“If we were close to the president, as everyone assumes, we would have dealt with the piracy issue,” he said.
Shobeni was full of praise for the new strategy of the South African Music Awards, grouping all traditional genres in one big category, saying it would boost competition in the music industry.