Makhadzi was the latest star featured on the biggest podcast in South Africa, “Podcast and Chill with MacG,” which premiered on Thursday, 27 August 2020.
The “Haka Matorikisi” hit maker’s episode was in two parts. The first part was detailed as the journey to her aforementioned break through single that cemented the musician’s status into mainstream popularity. Other talking points of the first part was, “leaving Venda for Joburg, Being exploited, (and her) Career.”
The description of the being “exploited” barely scratches the surface of the journey that a teenage Makhadzi opted to take in the pursuit of being on stage. The musician begins by detailing that her active pursuit for fame started when she was 12 when she won a cell phone at a talent competition. In an effort to win another cell phone to sell, she trekked to Polokwane from her rural area not knowing how to get to Polokwane.
A dear-eyed Makhadzi did not get to Polokwane that day. But Makhadzi did find performers that had an audience and when they canvassed for performers while they took a break, Makhadzi took the opportunity to showcase her dancing talent. The star states that she drew such an audience that the buskers invited her joining the convoy, which became her break into routine performance. But that was also the beginning of her exploitation.
Through this “team” she had joined Makhadzi described worked for them as being a “slave.” Besides dancing and drawing in a crowd, a young and impressionable Makhadzi also handled the household chores for the “team.” She explains she did not mind because all she wanted to perform which they gave her an opportunity to do.
While her personal life was tragic, it was the same “team” that allowed Makhadzi to sing for the first time following her begging for an opportunity. The opportunity paid off as she became the most popular performer of the team. But as the exploitation continued she opted to find new “management”.
Makhadzi shocked all that watched the episode when she revealed that her former manager's male friend allegedly sexually abused and was her first sexual experience. The man allegedly groomed her by petitioning for her to have her own bedroom in his family home to routinely “visit her.” And when she attempted to find ways to break away, he would device other sinister plans to continue sexually assaulting the star.
