Jabulile Khambule is a woman in distress.The 64-year-old widow of the late Maskandi artist Gawulaezakhe Mbili, who was well known as Sphuzo Sabantwana, says she is struggling to make ends meet while someone  out there is enjoying the fruits of her late husband's labour. Sphuzo, loved for his music and delivered in a hoarse voice, passed away in 2020 after a sudden stroke.  At the time of his passing, the KwaZulu-Natal artist was a social media sensation whose single,  Guava Juice, made waves.

 WHERE IS MONEY?

Jabulile, who has a 23-year-old son with the late artist, says that since her husband's passing, she has been struggling to make ends meet. The only thing, she says, the husband left for them is a house that was donated to him by good Samaritans in 2020. "My husband's death has left me and those who depended on him in deep poverty. I do not know how to get his royalties. Nobody has come to us to explain how we can get proceeds from his music. I see people on the streets selling his music but I do not know where the money goes to," she says.

 WRITING TO RELEASE THE PAIN

She adds that when she met Sphuzo in Port Shepstone KwaZulu-Natal, where they lived, he was a street vagabond with no family or friends. "Sphuzo walked aimlessly in the streets of Port Shepstone. He was an orphan from a young age, but we met as adults. I took him to my house and changed his life. He was very talented and witted.   I encouraged him to pursue his musical talent. People love him so much as he was a great entertainer," says Jabulile. To lull her pain, Jabulile, who has had a passion for writing since she was young, pours her broken heart into writing. She has written a number of unpublished poems in IsiZulu and English. She says the poems are about the hardship she has experienced in life. She also says some are love notes to her late husband, whom she adored.  "My poetry is my outlet. I write all my pain there. Whenever I feel sad, I take a pen and paper and write my feelings. This has been my therapy. It has kept me sane through my life challenges," she shares, adding that she is looking for a publisher who can help her to publish these poems. "I appeal to anyone who can help me publish my poems to come forward. I want to dedicate the work to my husband as my thanksgiving for all the love he gave to my child and me while he was still alive. I want the book to be a celebration of our love and other good things that were shared while he was still alive. I also want to keep his legacy through this book," says Jabulile whose highest education qualification is Grade 11.