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Mkhululi Ncube, [email protected]

SOLOMON Skuza’s music continues to resonate with audiences three decades after his passing, but the same cannot be said for his homestead which was once a source of pride. 

Snuggled approximately 70 kilometres from Plumtree, the property is accessible only by the most rugged of vehicles. A treacherous journey along Ntoli Road, where a smooth asphalt surface gives way to a harsh, thorn-studded landscape, leads to a haunting sight — Skuza’s homestead, now a dilapidated relic of its former grandeur.

A five-roomed house roofed with asbestos has some bricks on top to balance broken asbestos sheets from being blown off by the wind. From outside, timber cut from the bush acts as balancing poles to support the roof from caving in. The plastering of the house has largely peeled off, exposing the cement-made bricks used to build the house. Some of the air vent spaces are filled with old clothing and sacks, while some window panes have lost their glass. A kitchen adjacent to the house looks much better, although the smoke from the firewood has done much damage to it. A single toilet that has seen numerous visits also stands by the corner.

“This is the homestead that Solomon built before he died. He built it while he was based in Bulawayo but did not live here much. After Solomon’s death, his wife took all the property and left for Mtshabezi with their two children,” said Lizzy Skuza, Solomon’s sister.

After her marriage failed, she found sanctuary in her brother’s homestead as no one stayed there following the death of her mother, who had been living there. Her relocation has somehow “preserved” the homestead so that those who want to know the Banolila hitmaker’s place can find solace.

This was an unplanned and unannounced visit to the homestead as we had to use the chance we had covering a story some 10 kilometres away to visit. After explaining our visit to MaMambo, Lizzy’s nickname, I was eager to see where Solomon and his younger brother are buried after my initial disappointment of not spotting the graves near the homestead.

By her confession, she has assumed the role of tour guide, taking those interested to see where the two legends of rhumba music are buried, some 800 metres or so from the homestead. From a short distance, some tombstones greet us on arrival, although the fence which once surrounded the graveyard has broken down, and goat droppings show they have found a playground there. The graveyard could benefit from a fence replacement.

Our “tour guide” then moved to the front of Solomon’s grave, which only has a tombstone head with a guitar drawing on it and an inscription: “Gifted Singer Solomon Skuza died 24.5.1994. R.I.P.” The rest of the tomb is made of a few lines of bricks on the sidelines, although they are starting to disintegrate as the plastering is peeling off. A small thorn thicket is growing at the centre. A medium-sized stone to the left is all that marks the grave of Solomon’s brother, Khumbulani Moyo, as the grave has long flattened with soil washed off.

“One of Khumbulani’s children was here yesterday, and I told her they should do something about his grave because akulagcwaba nxa kunje,” said Lizzy. 

The graveyard has 10 graves belonging to family members, and a few metres from it are the ruins of the homestead they were born in.

We returned to the homestead to finish the interview.

 

“Our mother had no speech, so she communicated through sign language. Our father was a polygamist who had four wives, and my mother had six children, but only two of us are alive now. The first-born was a girl called Lucy, who is late. The second born, Edward Siqa, died during the war of liberation, followed by Solomon, nicknamed Dwamba when growing up due to his small body stature. I come after him, then Betty, who is in South Africa, comes after me, and the last born was Khumbulani Moyo,” she said.

Lizzy said Solomon was a renowned entertainer at school, and teachers would come and fetch him at home if he did not attend classes. She said Solomon was very bright at school, although he later left school to join the war. 

“Rest assured that wherever Solomon was, people would be laughing. Growing up, he would play home-made guitars to entertain us. We never thought he would turn out to be a legend celebrated nationwide and would bring honour to the Skuza name,” she said.

Lizzy said Khumbulani was the opposite of his brother as he was largely reserved and kept to himself. She said Khumbulani, who started as an imbube singer, resided in his brother’s homestead and had not built his own. 

“Some of the songs that Skuza recorded were songs that were sung by our father. They would go drinking homemade opaque beer and spend nights and days enjoying themselves. Songs like the one talking about Ibhatshi were songs that were sung by our fathers during the beer drinks,” she said. 

“While many people assume that their death was connected to the lost jackets as portrayed in their songs that was just about that. We knew that song and many others from our father, and Skuza just recorded them. Akula buthakathi obabakhona.”

While she could not recall if the hit Banolila also belonged to their father or was Skuza’s composition, two of the names mentioned in the song, “Tjebukani,” who is late, and “Tjakalisa,” are his brothers. 

Lizzy said Solomon had two children with his wife when he died, and they were blessed with two children, Mqhelekayise and Lubalikayise. 

“The two moved with their mother back to Mtshabezi, where she came from. Their mother died a few years later, and the children are based in South Africa. Mqhelekayise visits often when he is in the country. There are also other children who come here saying they were told that Solomon was their father,” she said.

“Khumbulani’s wife, who died before him, was from Esigodini, and they had one child when he died, Talent. There is also a girl who came here yesterday by the name Lurato from Nyamandlovu, where her mother hails from. Delani Skuza, who is into music, is also a son of Khumbulani.”

She said Skuza’s homestead is revered in Ntoli Village due to the work he did in bringing honour to it. Lizzy said although she wishes that more could be done at their graves, they cannot afford to do something. 

“I wish we could do something at their graves so that they fit their status. Balele buhlungu lapha ngoba izandla zethu zimfitshane. I even told Khumbulani’s daughter who visited that she should try and do something about his grave, and she promised to look into it when she returns to South Africa, where she is based,” said Lizzy.

As we round off the interview, I convinced Lizzy to let me peek inside the house, and a bed metal base in one of the rooms is all she says is left of Solomon’s properties. Just like the song Banolila (They are crying), Lizzy is crying for help to better preserve the legacy and status of the two Skuza brothers who entertained many in life and from the graves. — @themkhust