Award winning gospel sensation Hlengiwe Mhlaba (48) is taking a break from the music industry. Hlengiwe was injured in a freak accident three weeks ago when she missed a step and fell down a flight of stairs.

The Umhlekazi hitmaker slipped and fell a day before the Ungazibulali Awareness event last month. ZiMoja reported last week that the gospel star will be undergoing a minor back surgery after the incident. A source close to Hlengiwe has since revealed that she will be be having a total hip replacement at a public hospital in Durban. ZiMoja has since learnt that Hlengiwe has been moved to the Inkosi Albert Luthuli hospital from a private hospital where she is scheduled to have the operation.

Close sources said that Hlengiwe has decided to take a two years break from music in order to focus on her healing process. "Hlengiwe fell and this affected her hips and now she needs urgently be operated. We cannot speculate what may have caused so much damaged but we suspect that falling was the reason that led to where she is now," the source said. The source added that due to the complex of her situation, she had to be moved from the private hospital to the public hospital where she is due to have the operation. Hlengiwe’s manager Thobile Ndlovu confirmed that she is currently admitted at Inkosi Albert Luthuli waiting to be operated and that she is not taking bookings until further notice. "We are delighted that she is doing well and everything is looking positive. We are pleading with her fans and the media to give her space as she is embarking on this healing journey," she said.