Online Reporter
Mbulelo Mpofu, [email protected]
RENOWNED Afro-fusion singer and Oscar-subject Prudence Mabhena is recuperating at her home in Bulawayo after a domestic accident left her bedridden, forcing her to cancel a landmark and debut performance at the 2026 Zomba City Festival in Malawi this past weekend.
The accident occurred while the Mubvunzo hitmaker and her husband were packing for the trip. According to reports, Mabhena was not yet secured in her wheelchair when her toddler accidentally pushed it, causing it to roll down the stairs.
In an exclusive interview, Mabhena’s manager, Precious Mpofu, confirmed that while the singer is in good spirits, the road to recovery will require time.
“She’s now back home and recovering, but she’s still bedridden at the moment and not yet able to get back onto her wheelchair. She was hospitalised for two days. Fortunately, there were no fractures, but she’s in pain.
“The injury affected her back, though thankfully nothing was broken, so she’s taking things slowly under medical guidance,” Mpofu said.
Mpofu highlighted Mabhena’s resilience despite the physical toll.
“While it’s been a difficult period for her, especially missing the Zomba City Festival, she remains in good spirits and is focused on healing. She’s also very grateful for the messages of support she has been receiving.”
The news cast a shadow over the Zomba City Festival in Malawi, where fans had been eagerly awaiting Mabhena’s soulful performance. Festival organiser Laura Schuerwegen expressed the team’s disappointment but noted their quick efforts to adapt.
“Of course, the team was very worried about her and saddened that she couldn’t come. Her songs would have definitely fit the line-up, and we were looking forward to having her,” Schuerwegen said from Malawi.
“We managed to mix up the schedule to make it work. These types of things sadly happen, and we managed to shift quite quickly.”
Mabhena’s life has long been defined by a triumph over adversity. Born with arthrogryposis — a condition causing severe joint deformities — she rose to international fame as the lead vocalist of Liyana, a band composed entirely of physically disabled performers from the King George VI School and Centre for Children with Physical Disabilities.
Her journey was immortalised in the 33-minute documentary, Music by Prudence, directed by Roger Ross Williams.
The film, which highlights the band’s struggle against societal stigmas in Zimbabwe, won an Academy Award in 2010. During the height of the film’s success, Mabhena met media mogul Oprah Winfrey, who was famously moved to tears by the singer’s story of surviving abandonment and exclusion.
Beyond the silver screen, Mabhena has remained a pillar of the Zimbabwean arts scene, from her stirring 2010 rendition of Ipi Ntombi at the International VSA Festival opening ceremony to the 2017 release of her acclaimed seven-track album, Ndinoda Imimi.
Her influence is also evident in her dedicated mentorship at King George VI School, where she once taught music and choreographed dance — the same institution where Liyana first grew from a local class project into an internationally recognised success.
As a composer, Mabhena has used her powerful vocals to challenge the narrative that disability equates to incapacity. Her band’s motto, “disability does not mean inability”, serves as the guiding light for her recovery. — @MbuleloMpofu
Bongani Ndlovu