Mercy Masakona Madzivhandila is a local gospel singer who is on a campaign to fight the coronavirus through her music.
To support the government to mitigate the spread of the killer disease, Mercy released a single song, Ndi lamulelwa nga nnyi naa, which translates into Who will come to my rescue, two weeks ago.
With the song, Mercy is paying tribute to the orphans, widows and widowers who lost their loved ones as a result of COVID-19. Mercy, a resident of Zwavhavhili village in the Lwamondo area, appeals to those who are currently mourning their loved ones to turn to God, saying that is the only place where they will find comfort.
Asked what had prompted her to use music as a tool to fight the spread of the pandemic, Mercy simply said that "where words fail, music speaks".
Mercy's music career dates to just over two decades ago. Like many artists, Mercy's love of music became clear when she was a Sunday school child. She later joined the ICC Ministry Band under the leadership of Apostle (Dr) Maxwell Masakona. The band released two albums with Mercy as a leading vocalist in most of the songs.
Realizing that she had gathered enough experience to stand on her own, Mercy went solo in 1997. She released her debut album, Yesu wa vhuthu, the following year. The success of her first album made it possible for her to release her second and third albums, Haho and Haho 2 in 2003 and 2005 respectively. Her fourth album, Dzina Lawe, followed four years later.
In 2015, Mercy released her sixth album, Hashanduki. Her first Tshivenda traditional music album, A ri edeli, was released in August last year. According to her, the new release is available on CD and online platforms, including Google play, iTunes, Amazon and Youtube.
For live performance bookings, Mercy can be phoned on 083 479 3834, 071 421 1272 or 084 663 4646.