Music to Fight Abuse at Umuziwabantu
Issued by Ndumiso Vethe

The KZN Tribute band is calling on music fans and all residents of the Umuziwabantu Local Municipality to help save their community by attending a one-off gig at the Harding Sports grounds on 21 March 2017.
The event will also serve as a grassroots campaign launch by the Campaign Institute South Africa in association with Umuziwabantu Local Municipality and SADC Youth union representation. The campaign is named: ‘Music Against Violence and Crime’ which lobbies for fighting domestic violence and crime, encountering 100 percent community participation and high range tourist visit in the 2017 annual Mandela Weekend Expo. The KZN Tribute band will be performing tributes and new well composed songs to convey community safety messages.
According to event spokesperson, Ndumiso Vethe the ‘Music against Violence and crime’ initiative is also an opportunity to commemorate the late KZN gospel hero S’fiso Ncwane, Councillor Mshiyeni Wilson Memela and late Councillor Ace Houston.
“It will also be an opportunity to promote peace among councillors as well as among taxi industry, business owners and their workers and the community at large. There is a high rate of domestic violence and crime incidents in Ugu and Umuziwabantu, especially in ward 3 Winterton phase 1, 2 and iLindelani where people get injured and killed. Other violent incidents are also taking place within families where you find that the men are violent against women and children. This also affects the broader community. There has also been a large increase in murder and violent crime in the last few months,” said Vethe.
The event will also serve as an audition for the newly established music group ‘Ugu Regional Gospel Choir’’ which will be performing at the first annual Mandela Weekend Expo in July.
“Music Against Violence will be used to make peace since we understand that music is the greatest creation of man, which touches the soul and also helps man to sympathetically manifest unspoken desire and humanity in him. The effect of music in man is what separates him from other animals. Due to the high effect of music in the life of human being, it is capable of breaking boundaries to unite people from different backgrounds and cultural heritage,” concluded Vethe.
SABC 1 actress, Mongumusa Dlamini, from the drama series ‘Uzalo’ is also set to attend the launch of the campaign.