Two of the University’s students are showing the great talent that could elevate them to heights they have never dreamed of. Sphelele Mhlongo and Bonginhlanhla Nxumalo are artists of different kinds.
Mhlongo, a second-year Civil Engineering student, is a fine artist. He started getting serious about his art, which he draws on paper, in 2017. Otherwise, he has been doing art from a very early age. He sells his work at a price determined by the size of the picture.
“Generally, the going rate is R3000 for an A1 picture and half of that for an A2 picture,” said Mhlongo, who is from Nseleni, Empangeni, in the north of KwaZulu-Natal.
Nxumalo, whose stage name is Stanley Bee, has already been involved in seven songs. Stanley Bee has five songs that he wrote and sang. He features in two songs. Stanley Bee’s songs are Uthando weminyaka, Izibusiso, Sophumelela, Masithandane and Khangela. He co-owns the ‘Super Star’, a song he did with DJ Knee Core, one of the two producers has worked with. The other producer is Bobzeen Jozlin.
Like Sphelele, Stanley Bee started getting involved in music at a very early age. He said as a family, they sang gospel music in church.
“We had a gospel choir. We sang on Sunday,” he said.
In 2019, he recorded his first song, Unthando lwemnyaka.
“I realised the people liked the song,” he said. “I produce the music for the soul. My music is based on what people are going through. I am versatile. I can go into all the genres.”
Stanley Bee writes his music. He said he wanted to do music full time. Stanley Bee will be graduating with a Diploma in Human Resources on 13 August 2022. He said he wanted to do music full time.