Puleng Phoofolo is making a triumphant return to music after surviving the fatal car accident that claimed the lives of fellow musicians Malome Vector and Lizwi Wokuqala last July.
The 29-year-old songbird reflected on picking up the pieces in an emotional interview with Sowetan.
“Life hasn’t been the same ever since the accident. I’ve been a mix of emotions. To this day, I still can’t believe they’re gone and now I’m here left to pick up the pieces of my life without them,” said Phoofolo.
“I was admitted to hospital for close to four months. Even now, I haven’t fully recovered but I’m taking each day as it comes. All I remember from that day is that we had a tyre burst and unfortunately the driver struggled to control the car.
"There was a taxi in front of us that wasn’t willing to make way for us to drive to the yellow lane, and [coupled with] failure to control the car, we ended up underneath a truck... that’s when I lost consciousness. I remember seeing the car going underneath the truck and I told myself to close my eyes because I wasn’t going to witness the separation of my flesh and my spirit.”
Phoofolo's recovery has not been easy.
“I remember opening my eyes and seeing a lady taking videos of Malome Vector. I asked for her help because I was experiencing shortness of breath but she just ignored me and continued recording the guys as they lay there,” she said.
“From the scene, they took all of us to a public hospital. I was discharged the following day because I didn’t have a scar or anything but my hip was swollen very badly, still, I was told to go home.
“I was given injections that knocked me out two days straight. I then developed shortness of breath and was rushed to hospital, where they found four blood clots and I had to get emergency surgery. I now have a huge scar on my thigh that reminds me of that heartbreaking day.”
Phoofolo’s favourite singer is Rebecca Malope.
She enjoys cooking and baking in her spare time.
She is a huge fan of Sjava and would like to share the stage with him.
If she wasn't a singer, she would be a chef.
— Fact Box: Puleng Phoofolo
Phoofolo said she cherished the memories and strong bond she formed with the two.
“Malome and I used to spend time together and we loved food. His favourite meal was beans and phuthu. I would’ve received a text from him usually when the weather is like this [overcast]. He’d tell me to either start cooking or order some bean soup that we can both eat,” she said.
“I left my family in the Free State to hustle in Joburg. I had found family in those guys, they were like my second home. Our relationship wasn’t so much about work hence I’m this affected by their passing.”
Phoofolo's comeback single Keoshebile, featuring the late Wokuqala, dropped last Friday.
“My new song is about crushing on someone, and I want to give people the guts to go for the person they seem to love but can’t approach,” she said.
“We were in the studio with Lizwi and the gang and I remember telling them the concept of the song and I told them this song will help liberate women in telling the men they are crushing on that they are interested.”
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