Freddy Gwala

Freddy Gwala is a South African musician of zumba, a genre of African music that he invented in the early 1970s.^[1][2] He began his music career in 1973 when he and his brothers formed a group called Pure Gold. He also co-founded another group called Platform One. He has also contributed to albums for artists such as Brenda Fassie. In October 2023, Gwala launched an album titled “Iparole” in Bulawayo, Zimbabwe.^[2][3] Some of popular songs include ‘Amadamara’, ‘Tshidi S’khelekhele’, ‘Matshidiso’ and ‘Ngiboshiwe’.^[2][4]

Background

Early life

Gwala was born on 6 October, 1958 in Soweto, South Africa. His is credited with having created the “Zumba” genre of African music, a fusion of soul music and disco. One of his popular songs in the genre is “Amadamara”. Gwala spent 10 years in prison for stealing cars in the 1980s. Gwala told Daily Sun that music saved his life and that he does not want to commit crime anymore because prison is hell. He has 18 albums since 1990s when he released his first album titled "Amadamara".^[5][2] In 2023, he was deported after arriving at the Joshua Mqabuko Nkomo Airport without a work permit. In 2010 again, he was due to perform at Ibumba Festival in Bulawayo when he was sent packing for not having a work permit.

References