Lufuno brings worship into homes

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Gatherings of any nature might be still prohibited during the national lockdown alert level 3, but that did not stop multi-award-winning Lufuno Phalandwa from bringing a much-needed gospel concert into the homes of his legion of fans.

For Tshivenda gospel music lovers, the past Saturday and Sunday nights were a revival, a crusade, and a soul-winning session when Phalandwa went online, streaming his golden Midnight Hour Worship DVD live.

“On Saturday night, gospel lovers had amazing reviews for songs such as Tshedza Tshanga, Vhuthu hau Yehova and the reigning national song of the year, Nga a rendwe, but the pick of the night was Nikodemo,” Lufuno said. “People could not stop talking about Lutendo ‘Diwa’ Tshivhase, who played iconic drums on the song.”

Sunday night was no different, with arguably Venda’s current gospel anthem Shela Muya getting the thumbs up once again. Supporters wrote on social media platforms, expressing how winter turned into summer when they danced to songs such as Loko yi ta Hosi, U ntshimbidza ho lugaho and Ke nna yo Morena. Sunday’s worship session kicked off with Idani Nothe, a song that has been enjoying television coverage like no other.

“The idea of airing my project was conceived when many of my fans demanded that I do something to keep them close to God during these difficult times when church doors have been shut,” he said. “Gathering as a group with my full band would have contravened the lockdown regulations, so my management company decided to debut my live DVD, which was watched by the public for the very first time.”

The Ha-Mutsha-born worshiper said the feedback he received from the public was humbling.

“It felt like we had just recorded the project and their words of encouragement made me feel like I could immediately release the new songs I have been working on. I cannot wait for Covid-19 to disappear, so that we can get back to normal and gather with saints to worship the Almighty,” said an ever-smiling Phalandwa.

Before the lockdown, Phalandwa had planned to release a single in August, which was to be followed by a live recording in December. His manager, Robert Netshiunda, said the plans of God must prevail over those of humans.

“God’s timing is the best. When the dust has settled, we shall record another project but for now, we want to support our government in the fight against the coronavirus,” Netshiunda concluded.

Follow Lufuno Phalandwa on Facebook: Lufuno Phalandwa, and Instagram: lufuno_phalandwa    

By: Tshifhiwa Mukwevho

Tshifhiwa Given Mukwevho was born in 1984 in Madombidzha village, not far from Louis Trichardt in the Limpopo Province. After submitting articles for roughly a year for Limpopo Mirror's youth supplement, Makoya, he started writing for the main newspaper. He is a prolific writer who published his first book, titled A Traumatic Revenge in 2011. It focusses on life on the street and how to survive amidst poverty. His second book titled The Violent Gestures of Life was published in 2014.