adminLeonard Ncube, Sunday Life Reporter
TSHOLOTSHO is well known for having the majority of its people trekking down south, after or before completing school, in search of the supposed greener pastures.
But a group of youths from Mbamba in the district have vowed to make a difference in the community through music.
The band called MST Mbamba Express, derives its name from members’ initials — Melodius Masanza Ndlovu who does lead vocals, Simisani Sibanda (backing vocals) and Thubelihle ‘T’bos Ncube who plays the rhythm guitar. While music is not a new phenomenon in Tsholotsho or any part of Matabeleland North, MST Mbamba Express say they want to touch lives and change people’s behaviour in their community.
The band has put together its first album titled Ama Legend 40 with seven tracks. The songs featured in the album are Bantomu, Impilo, Umtakalifa, Mbamba, Imali and Sayijeni. They recorded at P.K July Studios in South Africa in October 2015 and play rhumba.
“The three of us formed the band in 2014 and we hired some individuals to help put together the first album. We have seen that our area is well known for having some women who get married but go on to cheat with other men especially omalayitsha when they husbands are in South Africa. Many marriages have been destroyed. We thought we could play a part by warning and advising people on this bad behaviour.
“In the title track AmaLegend 40 we sing about umswane wembabala saying kawungeniswa ekhaya ngoba ulichithamuzi. This is about a person who doesn’t listen to advice until trouble catches up with him or her and that’s when it dawns that he or she made a mistake by not taking advice but it will be too late,” said Ncube.
Imbabala is a bush buck and naturally it is regarded as taboo to take into the yard. The first song Bantomu advises people about writing a will so that their dependants don’t fight after the death of their parents. The album, Ncube said, has been selling like hot cakes in South Africa and Mbamba.
derick.khumalo