Building on the success of his 2022 release Love Them All Trust No One, popular reggae poet and musician Rogers Ndivhuwo Tshipenga has once again made waves in the music industry with his powerful new single, Vhaswa Vha Kho Fhela (The youth are dying).
Better known as Rooijah, the 37-year-old Johannesburg taxi operator, who was born in Lambani Nzanwe, is no newcomer to the entertainment scene. He has already produced four albums and made his debut in 2014 with Watch Out School Children.
His latest single was recorded at Masana Records in Tshiawelo, Soweto, and released in December 2024.
Rooijah said his initial plan had been to produce a film titled Death of the Youth, but he feared the message would not reach its intended audience. A lack of facilities in rural areas, he said, could make a film inaccessible to many.
"This is where the idea of music came into being. Music is one of the most easily accessible media for messages," he said.
The new single is actually a "double", featuring two tracks: Lufuno Lu Vho Rengiswa and Vhaswa Vha Khou Fhela, on which he collaborates with Signal Rollen and Mulalo Gavhi.
Vhaswa Vha Kho Fhela was inspired by the growing number of young people dying, he explained. "Each and every weekend, there is a burial of a young person who was killed in an accident while driving under the influence of alcohol and drugs. There are stabbings and shootings at taverns. Some are lured to their deaths through social media that they use wrongly.
"At school, there is bullying, where children end up taking their own lives, while others die of sexually transmitted diseases as a result of unprotected sex. Parents and other stakeholders should intervene to stop this scourge," Rooijah said.