SOBULALA u Van Damme has scooped the title of 2016/2017 SABC Summer Song of the Year!
The win has catapulted not so popular artist Mroza and his song to the top, leading to some questioning how it happened.
SABC spokesman Kaizer Kganyango said: “People need to understand that if they want someone to win they should vote for them.
“If you don’t vote for the song you like, that song won’t win.
“The SABC Summer Song of the Year voting process was launched in 2015 and the first winner was Nathi.
“This is our second winner and this initiative has proven to be a success.”
Controversy or no controversy, Mroza is riding the wave after his win.
And other maskandi artists have welcomed his win, seeing it as taking their music to a whole new level.
Mroza, whose real name is Mroza Fakude (30), told Daily Sun he was raised by his gogo in Ebayeni in Hluhluwe, KZN.
In 2007, he moved to Joburg in search of a better life and in 2009 was lucky enough to be discovered by maskandi group Izingane Zoma’s Shobeni Khuzwayo while playing his demo on the side of the road in the Faraday area, where he was selling herbs to survive.
Mroba said Shobeni stopped to listen to his demo and loved it.
“He liked the music and took me in. That’s when I started recording music professionally,” he said.
Mroza said he was thankful to all the people who voted for his song.
“I’m glad to have been the one taking our maskandi to this level,” he said.
He added he heard that people thought he was aiming to kill the real Van Damme, who is a movie actor.
“For me, it signified hardships and poverty,” he explained.
- People including other maskandi singers took to social media to congratulate the star on his success.
Singer Mthandeni “Igcokama Elisha” Manqele wrote: “I congratulate Mroza.
“He took our maskandi to the next level,” wrote Igcokama Elisha.
Singer Umphathafike wrote: “This will be in the maskandi history books for years to come.”
Mroza’s best friend, singer Mkhathazi said they couldn’t believe it.
“This is huge and it is history for maskandi music,” said Mkhathazi.
