At the peak of his career as a member of the TKZee Family group, he got into drugs and alcohol. Before he knew it, he was addicted and dependent.
He admits that being away from home for long periods of time tending to fans’ demands of him got to him in a way that he didn’t expect.
Mooketsi Diseko, also fondly known as Gwyza isolated himself in drugs and alcohol to a point where he could not recognise himself.
“The drugs and the alcohol started as a fun thing, a really nice thing, but then it ended in tears. I'm grateful that I'm off the drugs and alcohol. I've been sober for about seven years now. And my life is regenerating. And it's all by the grace of God that I'm here,” he previously told Drum.
When he finally found himself again, he reminded himself of who he was before fame.
He was a writer before he was a singer and a filmmaker before becoming a TKZee Family member. But for as long as he remembers, he’s always been a lover of storytelling.
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After the kwaito group fell out in 2005, Gwyza drifted away from music but now that things are getting back on track in his life, he has officially made a comeback.
Three months back when we last spoke to him, he shared that he misses making hits and the perks that came with topping musical charts.
“My favourite highlights of the music business are getting together with other creatives and making the music, doing the tours, shooting the music videos, being able to impact other people's lives through the music. If you have a hit, you're touring, you're doing shows, radio interviews and TV interviews. But most of all, I enjoy being together with people and singing one song, you know, at a show and, and giving good vibes. I miss being in studio and making, great hits. I miss making hits.”
He says, at the time, he hadn’t gone back to studio or even written the song that he has now released titled, Sunshine Podesta.
But after he, Sbu MaLawyer and Kabelo ‘Booga2Shoes’ Mabalane celebrated 25 years of TKZee in Braamfontein without Tokollo ‘Magesh’ Tshabalala who introduced him to the group, his spark was reignited.
Although the song was meant to be released in January, the song was delayed and found itself hitting the shelves only this week during Valentine’s week.
“Tokollo’s death [is what eventually pushed me to go back to studio] because this guy spent his whole life doing what he loves and that’s what we celebrated him for. I also want that for my legacy. I do have a passion of sharing the notes, rhymes and messages that I have with South Africa. I did the song after the 25th anniversary meet-up where we were in Braamfontein, and we were all there except Zwai [Bala] on stage together. It gave me a perspective on how important it is to just share the talents we have. My sobriety as well contributed; being able to function without destroying anything,” says the now father of three.
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For him, being sober brought him back to his senses and he cherishes the TKZee Family brotherhood more now.
“I can’t be in studio and not think about them. I can’t hear our songs and not wonder how they are, even when we’re mad at each other. I guess, this is part of the reason why I finally went into the studio. I love music and I’ll do it for free, everything else will come afterwards.”
Acknowledging that his self-sabotage days are over, the 45-year-old musician says that when he was making the song, he wanted it to be light but impactful.
“I just wanted to do a light song that celebrates the beauty of women without objectifying them. I just wanted a happy song that encourages a culture of love and admiration between men and women because that’s very scarce, there are a lot of transactional relationships now.”
He tells Drum that there will be more projects coming out this year and as much as he’d like to feature the other TKZee Family members, he understands that time is no longer as favourable as back in the day when they were not husbands and fathers with more responsibilities.
