A recent photo that was shared on social media of kwaito musician and actor Bonginkosi “Zola” Dlamini, better known as Zola 7, had fans and his industry friends worried that the he is unwell and struggling financially.
A FRAIL AND THIN ZOLA
In the picture, which was posted by a tweep called @Kamo_marven, Zola, who also presented theSABC1 programme Zola 7, is seen looking frail and thin compared to the man and musician that Mzansi came to know and love over the years.
https://twitter.com/kamo_marven/status/1406548231132221441
Tweeps agreed with Marven’s caption that Zola is not well and continued to post “before and after” images of the musician on the social media platform.
FRIENDS PAY ZOLA A VISIT
The Mdlwembe hitmaker, who featured on Cassper Nyovest’s 2020 song Bonginkosi, has rubbished claims by his fans that he is not well.
According to a Daily Sun article, some of his friends in the entertainment industry decided to pay him a visit to check up on him after the photo surfaced. They said Zola was in good spirits, cracking jokes.
Among the visitors, was fellow kwaito legend and close friend Mapaputsi.
Mapaputsi confirmed to the Daily Sun that Zola is doing well and that he’s not down and out as tweeps have concluded from the images on social media.
‘JUST WORKING ON THINGS’
According to Daily Sun, Zola 7 told his friends that he was just “silently working on other things”.
And true to his nature, Zola apparently told his friends “we need thousands of Zola 7’s” when they asked him to help people the way he used to:
This is not my fight alone. We need thousands of Zola 7’s so we can help a lot of people at once. We must work together to try and change communities.
We must help them sustain themselves. We don’t need to give them fish, but we need to teach them how to fish.
DIAGNOSED WITH EPILEPSY
The kwaito star previously revealed on Podcast and Chill with MacG that he was diagnosed with epilepsy three years ago.
He told the podcaster that he has lost a lot of weight over the past year as he was extremely sick due to his epilepsy. He also stated in the interview that everyone around him was scared as he was shaking and couldn’t eat well.
He however assured his fans in the interview that he’s on medication and recovering well.
ZOLA AND ‘TSOTSI’
The soundtrack of the gritty Academy Award-winning 2005 South African crime drama Tsotsi, starring Presley Chweneyagae, features several tracks by Zola, including his most acclaimed hits Mdlwembe, It’s Your Life and Bhambatha.
The musician also acts in the movie as the gangster Fela. Zola established himself in the acting realm with his role as the notorious gangster Papa Action in the second season of the television series Yizo Yizo.