Gospel prodigy, Vusi plans to open own Church very soon

At a tender age of 13, Gospel star Vusi Mtokufa was making money and headlines. He was a unique teenager until fame got to his head. And then he got involved in a life of promiscuity, and drunkenness. At 17 years old, he fell in love with a 22 year-old woman whom he was later accused for her death. It was reported that he assaulted and left her with internal bleeding. He was locked up at Boys Prison in Gaborone before his mention, when he was granted bail. He would later be acquitted. In an interview with The Midweek Sun, the 26 year-old revealed that he had it tough in 2009 when he was blamed for his girlfriend, Refilwe Thojane’s death. He says that there was a conspiracy against him by fellow artists who wanted to destroy him.

“We had a fight five days before she died. We did not have a history of violence as a couple,” he stated. According to Vusi, Thojane was drunk when they fought after he caught her with a fellow artist, after he had long expressed discomfort about their friendship. “She was drunk. As the fracas continued she threatened to break my friend’s car and I had called a cab, she jumped in and started assaulting me and broke my hand which is why I ended up in hospital,” he said. The pathologist report would later show that she died of acute liver failure which resulted from an overdose of paracetamol contrary to the prosecutor’s claims that she died of injuries sustained from the fight before her death. “She was my best friend and my woman.

I loved her. She used to dance for other artists,” he described her. For Vusi, life before and after his case was hard as he encountered rejection from every corner. People labeled him a murderer, and from a much celebrated artist who used to sell 35 000 copies of his album, he was now labeled a fake Christian. “Even churches and pastors rejected me. I felt all alone, but I never thought of suicide,” he said. However, he said his life changed when he met fellow prisoners who had repented while in prison and told him that he was going to be a man of God who would be used to heal the wounded. “Another one told me I was going to be granted bail and it happened,” he said. Vusi would later meet a Ghanaian pastor who nurtured his gift and helped restore him. He would later make a great comeback with Ama Pelo yaka which won him back into people’s hearts again.

“It was God reintroducing me back to His people and it’s all about grace and restoration,” he said. For the past two years, Vusi has been in demand among churches and local organisations to come and preach and sing for them. He has also made a name for himself in South Africa where he is also signed. In the next few months, Vusi says he will open his church called City of Hope International. He also wants to start a mentorship class to empower the youth.