"My baggage is too heavy, please lend me your hand...I have given out number yesterday. The reason being, I wanted people to reach out, so I can tell my story but the number will only be in service for only seven days, then you won’t be able to get the hold on me on the number, thank you," expressed Zahara in her latest Instagram post.
This follows a social media outcry by the ''Umthwalo Wam" hitmaker, real name is Bulelwa Mkutukana, where she stated she was fed up of living a lie.
Taking to Instagram, she wrote: "I’m tired of lying about me and the industry. Like I said I’m not here to be praised but to inspire and tell my story...now I’m ready to tell the truth... call me here 065 615 4871 I don’t want to be a statistic."
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A post shared by Bulelwa Mkutukana(@zaharasa) on Apr 6, 2019 at 1:49am PDT
Chatting to IOL Entertainment, Zahara said one of the things that spurred her to take this bold move was because she doesn’t want to become like some of her peers in the entertainment industry and become another statistic.
"I feel like the fans deserve an explanation from me. Because they are the people that buy my music and put me in this position. I don’t want to be like other artists who don’t want to tell the truth. Some of my peers are suffering from depression, some have thrown themselves into drug abuse, others into the arms of men simply because they are afraid of admitting that they have no money, because the record labels are not paying us," she said.
Thankfully, Mkutukana mentioned that she has a strong support system around her, with her mother being the first person she turned to.
"Before I went to Instagram, I started talking to my mother in February. She told me to wait on God’s timing, and we proceeded to pray and fast about it. I have now gathered my legal team and they are busy with this. I just wanted to show other artists that you don’t have to suffer for something you did not do. We have strange ways of destroying ourselves instead of facing the real issue."
She alleged that this fight has taken many forms, one of them being the assassination of her character.
"Do you remember there was a time when I was said to have been struggling with alcohol addiction? But there never seemed to be any photographs of me in the act. Have you ever even seen someone posting on social media that I’m at a bar and Zahara is here too? My story was a little too perfect, that they wanted to destroy me."
Zahara said while this is a part of her argument, the main one is that she wants her money from the records that she has created.
"I want my money. From the albums "Mgodi," "Phendula" and "Country Girl". One of the things that affect artists is that they never want to speak out. I didn’t just sing that song "Umthwalo Wam", it's because I have been going through these hard times.
She explained that one of the ways she has been able to survive for so long is through the monies she got the South African Music Rights Organisation.
"SAMRO has thankfully always made the payments. What I am talking about now, are my album sales royalties," she said.
We contacted one of the companies that are responsible for her latest studio album, "Mgodi," Warner Music.
Speaking on behalf of the company, Adrian King, Marketing Director insisted that Warner has a good working relationship with Zahara.
"We have an exclusive license agreement with Music Live Here (MLH) records, to which Zahara is signed as a recording artist," said King.
He continued: "All statements and accounting to Music Lives Here are up to date".
On what she’d like the outcome will be, Zahara said only God knows.
"I walked in and found a snake in my house. A Black and Brown one. So I am not underestimating the power that these people have. But I am just ready for people to hear the truth," she said.