
Close to breaking to tears, the veteran musician said it was how God works in her life.
Mpumalanga businessman Themba ‘Masofa’ Sgudla has given an amount of R100 000 to South African veteran gospel artist Rebecca Malope while she performed at his Mpumalanga Show Sunday afternoon.
Malope who recently announced her retirement from the music industry is releasing her last album – the 36th in a career spanning more than three decades – in a few weeks’ time and in it she features a lot of prominent artists like Dumi Mkokstad, Amadonana AseWesile and the Soweto Gospel Choir.
The multiple-award winning singer delivered her last career performance at the Mpumalanga Show Sunday afternoon 1 September 2019 to scores of fans, before Sgudla, the Show’s director, thanked her “for putting Mpumalanga on the map”. He said Malope was retiring “not because of age or sickness but out of willingness to break a record in her 50s”.
Sgudla, CEO of the show and who on Saturday morning 31 August 2019 arrived with deputy president DD Mabuza during the third day of the 3rd annual Mpumalanga trade show, told ululating patrons who were watching him presenting the R100 000 cheque to Dr Ribs on stage that the consummate gospel artist has done wonders for the country.
“Here is uMama,” Sgudla said at the Mbombela stadium.
“As Mpumalanga Show and the businesspeople of the province, as citizens we would like to thank you for putting Mpumalanga on the map. You are now retiring, and you are setting a standard to other artists not to retire when they are sick or dead but while still strong and healthy,” said Sgudla to applause from Dr Ribs’ fans.
Malope herself said she left the province when she was a 14-year-old girl to go find work outside home. She was born in the Mbombela township of Likazi in 1968.
In 1986, Malope decided to go look for work in Johannesburg together with her sister Cynthia.
She had decided to retire 33 years later, with 36 albums in her name in order to give the chance to and support young talent.
She said young people need the help of those who are there in the music industry.
The Mpumalanga Show, a show of businesspeople who come and showcase what their various companies in forestry, agriculture and mining offer, was started in 2017 by Mabuza, Sgudla and billionaire Brian Ring.
This year it featured a string of prominent musicians like Lira, Khaya Mthethwa, Malope, Dj Ossewa, traditional groups and many other local and national artists who came to entertain the thousands who came to the show over the weekend.
Mabuza while addressing those who attended the show on Saturday said they want to see the organisers of the show inviting more businesspeople and artists from neighbouring countries like Swaziland and Mozambique.
He said the more people of the SADC region unite for a common cause the more the countries progress and its people discover their capabilities.
(edited by MLM)
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