By Celani Sikhakhane
- Former uKhozi FM presenter Ayanda Msweli started a stokvel after seeing Thwalofu’s condition on social media, raising over R250,000 for the legend.
- MEC Mtomuhle Khawula donated R160,000 to kick off the fund, which was presented to Thwalofu at his oBuka village home in eMpangeni on 9 May.
Sipho Khoza has recorded 44 albums. He started singing in 1971. At 75, he can barely walk, can barely speak, and can no longer perform.
On 9 May, his community came to his home in oBuka village, eMpangeni, and handed him a cheque from a stokvel fund raised in his name. The total collected came to over R250,000.
Khoza, known across KwaZulu-Natal as Thwalofu and Nkunziyembongolo, did not say much. He did not need to.
“I am really grateful for your help, especially Ayanda Msweli. Well, I am not a good speaker. God only gave me the skill to be a singer and a guitarist,” he said.
The money will go towards his medical care and renovating his house in the deep rural area outside eMpangeni. His health has stopped him from performing, and without performances there is no income.
The fund was started by Ayanda Msweli, a former uKhozi FM traffic presenter and founder of the Ayanda Msweli Foundation. He says he first heard about Thwalofu’s condition through a comment on his social media page.
“Someone wrote to my page that we need to check on Thwalofu because his life has not been good lately. I then followed up and found out for myself about the status of his health,” Msweli said.
He took the matter to KwaZulu-Natal Sports, Arts and Culture MEC Mtomuhle Khawula, who donated R160,000 from his department. Businesspeople and fellow maskandi artists added to the fund. FNB advised the group to open a stokvel account so Thwalofu could access the money without delays.
Thwalofu formed his first group, Thwalofu Namankentshane, in 1971. For decades his music held hostel communities together through some of the hardest years this country has seen. He announced his retirement in 2014 but released his 44th album the following year.
He was not done. His body just had other plans.
Pictured above: Maskandi veteran Thwalofu Nkunziyembongolo Sipho Khoza with maskandi legend Hhashi eLimhlophe Ngcobo at Thwalofu’s gathering in eMpangeni on 9 May 2026.
Image source: Supplied
