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Nyezi Mangethe, the young sister to the late Beatar, regrouped her sister’s band in 2010 in a bid to keep her sister’s dream alive.
In a telephone interview, Mangethe said she dropped out of school in 2009 after Beatar, who was the bread winner, passed on.
“I dropped out of school when I was in Form Three and this was mainly because I could not pay the fees,” she said.
Nyezi said the untimely death of her sister forced her to revive her band in a bid to fend for her family.
“Our family survived on my sister’s music and her death really affected us a lot.
“The family was left in a desperate situation when Beatar died,” she said.
Nyezi said soon after dropping out of school she decided to take over from where her sister had left.
“It was not easy to regroup the band but I worked hard to bring all the experienced members together.
“We held shows in different places and that is where I got the little money to sustain my family,” she said.
Nyezi said she decided to go back to school in January as she got a sponsorship from one of her relatives.
“I discovered that it is important to be an educated musician,” she said.
Nyezi said she was doing Form Three and would be writing her Ordinary Level examinations next year.
She said her going to school did not mean she had abandoned music.
“I am definitely going to stage shows during my spare time as a way of reminding people that I am still around,” she said.
Nyezi said she is going to continue composing songs for her first album and it would be recorded in December 2013.
“I am working on an album and I have composed five songs and I am still to compose five more.
“Fans should expect a complete album soon after writing my examination in December 2013,” she said.
Nyezi said already she has five songs and some of them include Makokoba (remix), Sabantwana and Still at Makokoba.
Online Reporter
Sidumisile Mabena