LEGENDARY musician Dr Madala Kunene is a happy madala.
This after Mzansi helped to raise funds for his prostate cancer surgery and on top of that, he was recently honoured by the country's president.
The 77-year-old musician from KwaMashu, north of Durban, was bestowed with the Order of Ikhamanga in Gold by President Cyril Ramaphosa. The event was held in Tshwane on Tuesday, 30 April.
Dr Kunene said Mzansi had raised enough money for him to get better surgery at a private hospital, Netcare Parklands Hospital in Durban.
The Ubombo hitmaker told Daily Sun that now he is praying not to have complications because of his age during and after surgery.
“Some doctors told me that I might take time to heal after my surgery, but I'm praying for a smooth and early recovery so that I can be back in music again and be able to travel overseas again.
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“I would like to thank all those who contributed to raising funds for my surgery because it is too expensive,” he said.
Dr Kunene was honoured by the UKZN with an honorary doctorate in music in 2023 and celebrated by Sport, Art and Culture Minister Zizi Kodwa under the programme to honour living legends at the 6th Van Toeka AF Living Legends Recognition in 2023.
He said he feels honoured to be recognized by the government because, many times, they feel ignored.
“I think the Order of Ikhamanga is a top award in the country. I’m happy that I received it while I was still alive because I noticed that others received it while they are no longer alive.
“At the moment, I just received the award, and I’m not sure if the money will follow. I was not told if Order of Ikhamanga goes with money or not, but I need money to celebrate it. For now, my focus is on my upcoming surgery,” he said.
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