Gospel singer Hlengiwe Mhlaba has spent nearly three weeks in hospital after falling ahead of her performance in Sandton, Johannesburg last month. The Dwala lami hitmaker missed a step and fell just a day before she was meant to perform at the Ungazibulali Campaign, where she was expected to give a talk on mental health and fighting mental illness. She was forced to cancel all her bookings.

According to a source close to the singer, Mhlaba had no clue that her back was also affected during the fall. “She had to go through a surgery on her back, so that she could be able to perform, as she couldn’t stand after hurting her angle,” a source said. Another source says she always had back problems but the falling made it worse. “Ever since she hurt her ankle , her back also got affected also, hence she had to go for the minor procedure to fix it,” adds the sourceThe source said that should the singer’s situation not improve anytime soon, she would miss out on many gigs, which would be unfortunate, because the “festive season is drawing nearer. “We can only hope that she recovers soon, because she is already booked for many gigs and her fans want to see her in good shape,” added the source. The source says at the moment, Mhlaba is focusing on getting better. “This operation will also help her especially when she is on stage, remember being on stage can also affect your back- especially if you stand for a long time,” adds the source.

The star is not going through this alone, according to the source, she has has the support of those close to her, such as her family and friends. “She will recover from this setback, because she has the support she needs from her loved ones,”. Her manager Nkululeko Khanya refused to comment saying they will issue a statement soon to update her fans on how she is doing.