Mzwakhe mbuli biography of abraham lincoln

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They got married in  a traditional ceremony in KwaZulu-Natal in 2010.

Mzwakhe Mbuli Career

His works include a book of poems, Before Dawn (1989), and albums Change Is Pain (1986), Unbroken Spirit (1989), Resistance Is Defence (1992), and Africa (1993). He was held at the Leeuwkop Maximum Security Prison, until his release in November 2003.

In 2005, Mbuli helped to organize a concert for tsunami victims as well as performing at the birthday celebrations for both Nelson Mandela and Winnie Madikizela-Mandela. He is a former Deacon at Apostolic Faith Mission Church in Naledi Soweto South Africa, known.

He is popularly known as “The People’s Poet, Tall man, Mbulism, The Voice Of Reason”.

Mzwakhe Mbuli Age

He was born in Sophiatown on 1 August 1959.

Mbuli’s first major public performance took place in 1981 when he recited the poems “Sies” and “Ignorant” at the memorial concert for a local preacher.  Mbuli refers to this event as the “beginning of Mzwakhe” and it would launch his career of reciting “dub” poetry at funerals during the 1980s.  Other notable performances of Mbuli’s during this time included the national launch of the United Democratic Front (UDF) in 1983 and the festivities surrounding Bishop Desmond Tutu’s acceptance of the Nobel Peace Prize in 1984.

 After gaining notoriety for his public performances, Mbuli received his first band from the record label Shifty in 1986.  Mbuli then recorded an underground album that would come to be known as Change is Pain, in some part due to the fact that he wanted his voice preserved in case of his death during this tumultuous period.  The album was banned shortly after its release by the apartheid government because of its “influence among revolutionary groups”and Mbuli’s reputation earned him the nickname “die long man” among the security police.  For Mbuli, Change is Pain was the beginning of torture as it garnered him the attention of the authorities.  Mbuli spent most of 1988 in solitary confinement and used this time to write and memorize his next album while in prison.  Upon his discharge in 1989, Mbuli immediately recorded and released the album Unbroken Spirit.  In 1989, Mbuli helped welcome back prisoners released from Robben Island in a ceremony, but his own legal troubles continued.  Mbuli and his wife, Nomsa, were arrested in their Pimville-Soweto home for possession of two Russian, hand-made grenades on 17 March 1989.  Mbuli was subsequently acquitted two years later on 5 February 1991 as a result of insufficient evidence.  In the 1980s alone, Mbuli was arrested 8 times and refused a passport 39 times.

Q:“How do you feel after your tape 'Change is Pain' was banned?”

Mzwakhe:

“That was an experiment.

The couple had met in 2015 in Mogale City, West of Jozi and got married in August of the same year.

Mbuli had been in a previous marriage to Thembeka Ndaba. Mbuli’s voice and lyrics are accompanied by a fusion of sounds such as marabi, kwela, and mbanqanga.

Mbuli is known for performing at a variety of venues throughout his career.  He would perform at festivals, church services, and funerals frequently unannounced in order to avoid the attention of the police.  Mbuli often wore traditional African clothing and started his poems with more of a speaking tone as he initially recited his work.  Then the lyrics became more rhythmic and the audience would often start to accompany Mbuli with their own humming if the song was particularly popular.  The performances were generally fast-paced and passionate. 

“The biggest human quality is to become unstoppable, I am unstoppable” --Mbuli, 2003

As the “People’s Poet,” it is often Mbuli’s lyrics that are the focal point of his work and performances.  According to Mbuli, most of his poetry“consists of a call to action” as it questions the decisions and actions of the regime and the people of South Africa.  Many people criticize the straightforwardness of Mbuli’s poetry.  The language and the vocabulary are generally quite simple and full of slogans and familiar phrases that some argue could have been made into poetry by anybody.  The themes are also quite broad and general rather than artistic abstractions often composed by other Cultural Workers of his time.  Some, alternatively, find this simplicity to be the most important part of his work.  Mbuli performed in front of large crowds at very public events; by keeping the language accessible, Mbuli was able to effectively penetrate large portions of the population. 

Furthermore, there are multiple features within the actual lyrics that attract such a large following.  Mbuli often used relatable events from the 20^th century in South Africa in his lyrics from the 1980s and early 1990s.  The poems “Don’t Push Us Too Far,” “The Noble Charter,” and “Let Me Remember” are all examples of this.  The song “Don’t Push Us Too Far” is about the beginning of the National Party and the oppressive policies introduced in 1948.  “The Noble Charter” reflects on the origins of the ANC and the Freedom Charter and “Let Me Remember” is about Mbuli’s own formative event, the Soweto Uprising.  Some songs merely spoke to contemporary situations such as the poem “Pitoli,” a song about Pretoria, or “Education Hijack,” a poem about the status of Bantu education at the time.  Finally, some of the lyrics are about Mbuli’s own conception of suffering both personally and by the nation as a whole.  Poems like “Change is Pain” are full of Mbuli’s own witnessing of suffering throughout South Africa.  As a result of clairvoyant lyrics that connect to the listener through historical events, contemporary situations, and relation to suffering, Mbuli earned the recognition of being the “People’s Poet.”

With the fall of the apartheid government, the lyrical substance of Mbuli’s work has shifted.  Initially, albums like Izigi and Kwazulu­-Natal had a more optimistic tone while also focusing more on problems affecting the South African people through means other than the government.  While the title track to Izigi was an ode to Mandela and his accomplishments, the title track to Kwazulu-Natal (as mentioned above), was a criticism of the violence taking place in the Kwazulu-Natal region.  Apart from his gospel music, Mbuli’s more recent work has focused on social issues such as abortion, HIV/AIDS, and drunken driving.  According to Mbuli, this overall shift has largely been a result of formerly being more of a voice for the UDF whereas he currently operates as more of a social critic.

The legacy of Mzwakhe Mbuli has been a common issue of debate.  Prior to the fall of the apartheid government, Mbuli garnered the title of “People’s Poet” due to his contributions as a Cultural Worker.  The role of the Cultural Worker was especially important in the 1980s, but some did feel Mbuli sometimes overstepped his boundary.

Mbuli later said it was a former girlfriend attempting to kill him.  In 1997, Mbuli released his first gospel album, Umzwakhe Ubonga Ujehovah.  The album was released with bookmarks meant for place keeping in Bibles. 

By this time, Mbuli made R20,000 for each festival performance and R15,000 for each indoor performance.  Prior to Mbuli’s major arrest in 1997, he signed a R500,000 contract with Spoornet to create a commercial to create in six languages after also doing advertisements for Nestle’s Cremora milk powder.  Although this damaged his credibility, hardly anything would impact the public image of Mbuli more than the trial that ensued in this year.  On 28 October 1997, Mbuli was arrested on charges of bank robbery in Pretoria in his most famous brush with the law.  As the trial progressed, an independent watchdog began to investigate the trial on 29 May 1998 as lots of contrary evidence began to mount.  On 12 June 1998, Mbuli blamed his arrest on his knowledge of the drug trade taking place between people in Swaziland and some upper level government officials in South Africa, but he never mentioned any of the politicians by name.  According to Mbuli, "they wanted me out of the way because I was speaking out against drugs.

if that happens maybe my tape and other people's works could be unbanned”

Mbuli, 1988

In the spring of 1990, Mbuli experienced a rift with African National Congress (ANC) leaders.  In February, Albie Sachs was invited to speak at a National Arts Festival in Grahamstown.  Sachs declined and suggested the head of the ANC’s Department of Arts & Culture (DAC), Barbara Masekela, speak instead.  At the time, Mbuli served on the Transvaal Interim Cultural Desk.  He helped launch this initiative in 1987 as a branch of the UDF in order to deal with the cultural boycott and helped organize the tasks of the Cultural Workers.  Mbuli believed that the festival was too “controversial” and too overtly connected to the government for an ANC official to speak.  Alternatively, other cultural leaders associated with the ANC and from the local Grahamstown Cultural Congress tried very hard to ensure Masekela’s visit to the festival and fought Mbuli’s attempt to speak for national interests.  A compromise was eventually reached in which Masekela would address the festival and attend a rally in the Rni township of Grahamstown, as well.  As a result of this conflict, Mbuli’s reputation within the artistic community of South Africa as well as his relationship with several top ANC members was damaged as many saw this as a power grab on his part.

In 1990, Mbuli began his international career when he performed with Youssou N’dour, Miriam Makeba, and Thomas Mapfumo in Berlin.  Mbuli also wrote and narrated a history of apartheid in South Africa for BBC Radio which was broadcast in the spring of 1991.  Additionally, Mbuli survived the third assassination attempt on his life at this time after a grenade was thrown into the window of his house.

In his song "Government of Uncertainty" (also dubbed "Government of National U-turn"), released in June 2024, he accused President Cyril Ramaphosa and ANC leaders of deceiving voters by allying with historical opponents, thereby undermining policies like land expropriation without compensation and dishonoring anti-apartheid icons such as Steve Biko and Robert Sobukwe.^[55][56] He lambasted selective application of accountability, citing inconsistencies in the ANC's step-aside policy—enforced against figures like Ace Magashule but overlooked for others like Zizi Kodwa—and the handling of Ramaphosa's Phala Phala farm scandal, where millions in undeclared cash were allegedly concealed without consequence.^[55] Mbuli further severed ties with ANC events, citing an unpaid R500,000 debt from the party, and warned of national deterioration after 30 years of democracy, where elite enrichment overshadowed citizen welfare.^[56]

Positions on social issues

Mbuli has articulated opposition to abortion through his poetry and music, viewing it as the wrongful termination of life.

He alleged that senior politicians were complicit in drug-running and claimed his 1997 arrest for bank robbery was a frame-up to silence these accusations, as he prepared to confront Nelson Mandela with evidence of police corruption and brutality.^[13] Mbuli continued to decry violence in regions like KwaZulu-Natal and positioned himself as a critic of moral decay, arguing that the new government had not eradicated the systemic injustices inherited from apartheid.^[1]In subsequent works and interviews, Mbuli highlighted the ANC's failure to translate political liberation into economic equity, emphasizing that the end of apartheid had not resolved poverty, inequality, or resource mismanagement despite South Africa's mineral wealth.

That's something I will never do again - look what happens when I do.” Over the course of the trial, Mbuli was denied bail five times due to risk of flight.  He was first held in Pretoria Central Prison and then moved to Pretoria Maximum Security Prison for 15 months.   

During this time, Mbuli became close with Helen Suzman, who visited Mbuli every month.

Career

His poems are mainly in English but draw on his native Zulu as well as traditional praise poetry and rap. The most instantly recognizable aspect of Mbuli’s style is his imposing physical presence.  The estimates of his height range between 6’4 and 6’7, while his booming baritone voice carries an empowering resonance over the accompanying instruments.  Like many others after the 1976 uprising, Mbuli produced the majority of his work in English while using traditional Zulu styles and techniques.  Some claim this was an attempt not only to speak the language of the oppressors, but also to make the poetry and songs accessible on a more international level.  Rather than singing, Mbuli often speaks the verses of his poetry while being accompanied by instruments and a choral group.  His early work generally featured simple drum beats in the background, but the musical complexity of his work increased over time such as when he formed the band the Equals in the early 1990s.

 Many critics pointed out the unusual proceedings of the case that included the suicide of one of the policemen who arrested Mbuli right before the beginning of the trial, the faulty identity parade used to identify Mbuli, and the failure by the bank to record the robbery on the surveillance system.    Mbuli shared a cell for a time with Eugene de Kock, the admitted murdered of Mbuli’s close friend Chris Hani at whose funeral Mbuli performed.  In 1999, Mbuli managed to release his greatest hits title, Mzwakhe Mbuli Greatest Hits: Born Free But Always In Chains.  While serving his jail sentence in September 2000, a former South African police officer was granted amnesty by the Truth and Reconciliation Committee for disclosing the place of two grenades hidden by security police in Mbuli’s Soweto home to create grounds for his arrest in 1989.

His most recent release is Mbulism.

Discography

Studio albums

• Change Is Pain (1986) Shifty (Rounder – USA)
• Unbroken Spirit (1988) Shifty Records
• Resistance Is Defence (1992) Stern’s Earthworks
• Afrika (1993) CCP/EMI South Africa
• Izigi (1994) CCP/EMI, South Africa
• KwaZulu-Natal (1996) CCP / EMI South Africa
• Umzwakhe Ubongu Ujehovah (1997) CCP/EMI South Africa
• Mbulism (2004) CCP/EMI South Africa

Singles

• “Mandela” (with Zahara) (2013)

Mzwakhe Mbuli Net Worth 

He has an estimated net worth of $1 million which he has earned form his career.

Tweets by MzwakheMbuli

Reference

• The contents of this page are sourced from Wikipedia article on 8 Dec 2020.

  After releasing the albums Resistance is Defence (1992) and Afrika (1993), Mbuli’s song “Peace in Our Land” became a national anthem to celebrate the second anniversary of the National Peace Accord on 2 September 1993.  Following this, Mbuli delivered a speech at the inauguration of Nelson Mandela on 19 May 1994.  For Mbuli, this experience contained mixed feeling because,

  ‘It took so many for us to reach where we are.  People died having called the name of “Mandela,” chanting the name of ‘Mandela,’ having not seen him, how he looked like, and people died for him.

  His debut recording in 1986, produced under clandestine conditions amid apartheid-era restrictions, exemplifies this format, featuring tracks that interweave personal narrative with calls for defiance.^[15]Early works emphasize anti-apartheid themes, portraying struggle through vivid imagery of pain, unbroken resolve, and collective action, as heard in compositions that were promptly banned by South African authorities for their subversive content.^[15] Over time, his output evolved to include patriotic anthems and gospel-infused pieces, reflecting shifts toward post-liberation reflection and faith-based expression, such as in releases blending praise with social commentary.^[26] These later tracks maintain the poetic core but incorporate choral elements and slower tempos suited to liturgical settings, aligning with his background as a former church deacon.^[2]Mbuli's recordings have been distributed internationally via labels like Shifty Records and Rounder, gaining traction in world music circles for their raw authenticity and political urgency, though commercial success remained limited outside activist and diaspora audiences.^[2] His vocal delivery, characterized by a deep, resonant timbre and isiZulu-inflected English, underscores a commitment to accessibility across linguistic divides in southern African protest traditions.^[27] Despite legal interruptions, he sustained output into the 2010s and beyond, with singles addressing contemporary African leadership and unity.^[28]

  Studio albums

  Mzwakhe Mbuli's studio albums fuse his poetic recitations with mbaqanga and other South African musical styles, often conveying messages of resistance, spirituality, and social critique.

  His most recent release is Mbulism.