Ladysmith Black Mambazo in the dark on Jacob Zuma album offer

13 January 2019 - 00:00 By ALEX PATRICK

When former president Jacob Zuma finally gets into a recording studio to belt out struggle tunes for his album, Ladysmith Black Mambazo are unlikely to be in the wings.
The foundation attached to the award-winning group this week denied that the musicians had joined forces with the former president, despite an announcement to this effect by eThekwini head of parks, recreation & culture Thembinkosi Ngcobo last month.
Ngcobo said Zuma's album would be produced with the help of the award-winning group, "who had offered [their] studio facilities for free for the live recording and a possible collaboration with the group".
But this week Sandile Khumalo, spokesperson for the Dr Joseph Shabalala Foundation, said he was "amazed" to see reports in the press about the group working with Zuma. The foundation was established to support the arts in KwaZulu-Natal's oThongathi region, where the group's founding member, Joseph Shabalala, lives.
"I've just come from a meeting with [arts and culture] minister [Nathi] Mthethwa at Dr Shabalala's house and nothing of the sort was mentioned," Khumalo said.
"From [the foundation's] side we haven't agreed to anything. Xolani [group manager Xolani Majoza] would have mentioned it to me."
'HE WON'T RECEIVE A CENT'
Khumalo said the only thing he was aware of was a documentary about Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
The foundation works with the department of arts & culture to help fund a cappella and isicathamiya groups.
Its first project is the documentary Untold: Joseph Shabalala and Ladysmith Black Mambazo, which will be out at the end of the year. A cousin and member of the group, Albert Mazibuko, said: "I haven't heard anything."
Majoza would not provide any information and declined to say whether the group had offered to work with Zuma or whether they would lend their recording studio to Zuma for free.
When pressed, he said the project belonged to the metro's arts & culture department and had nothing to do with Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
Ngcobo, however, insisted that he received a call from the group a "week or so" ago offering their recording studio.
He said the project was important to refresh the local museum's image and he felt Zuma could make a contribution to the arts.
Ngcobo said Zuma would not "receive a cent" from the project, calling reports that the album would cost taxpayers millions "lies".
The album is set to be released in April. The group has five Grammies under their belt...

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