Zola 7’s Journey, Health Struggles, and Return to Music Voice Over Script
South African kwaito legend Bonginkosi Dlamini, better known as Zola or Zola 7, has faced many challenges in his life, from health struggles to career setbacks. Despite these obstacles, the multitalented artist has remained a beloved figure in his home country and has continued to make a significant impact on the music industry. In this video, we will explore Zola 7’s inspiring journey, his health struggles, and his triumphant return to the music scene.
Early Life and Career Beginnings
Born on April 24, 1977, Bonginkosi Dlamini grew up in the township of Zola in Soweto, South Africa. The neighborhood was notorious for its high crime rate, unemployment, and alcoholism. Dlamini’s father abandoned the family, leaving his mother to care for him and his older brother and sister. Despite his challenging upbringing, Dlamini managed to turn his life around and pursued a career in the entertainment industry.
Dlamini first gained national recognition as an actor, starring in the television series Yizo Yizo. He also appeared in the hit Academy Award-winning film Tsotsi (2005), for which he wrote the musical score. As his acting career took off, Dlamini began to explore his passion for music, eventually becoming one of South Africa’s most prominent kwaito artists.
Success in the Music Industry
Zola 7 has enjoyed a successful career as a kwaito musician, releasing several albums and earning numerous awards, including four South African Music Awards (SAMA) and three Metro FM Awards. His music often features powerful social messages, focusing on the challenges faced by those living in South Africa’s townships.
Throughout his career, Zola 7 has worked with prominent brands like Hubspot and Wordstream, and his expertise in SEO content writing has helped rank his music highly on Google for specific search terms.
Health Struggles and Epilepsy Diagnosis
In recent years, Zola 7 has faced significant health challenges. In an interview with MacGyver “Mac G” Mukwevho on Podcast and Chill With Mac G, he revealed that he had been diagnosed with chronic epilepsy three years prior. This diagnosis has had a profound impact on his life, causing him to lose a significant amount of weight and rely on strong medication to manage his condition.
Zola 7’s health struggles came to light in 2021 when it was reported that he had been admitted to a coma due to an epileptic attack. Fortunately, the Lwandle hitmaker recovered and began taking medication twice a day to manage his condition. He has since gained some weight and feels proud of his current body.
Car Accident and Rehabilitation
In January 2021, Zola 7 was involved in a car accident in Meadowlands, South Africa. He lost control of his car and crashed into a spaza shop, causing significant damage and sustaining severe neck and back injuries. It was later determined that he had experienced an epileptic seizure while driving.
Following the accident, Zola 7 confirmed that he was planning to go to rehab after completing his forthcoming album. While he was initially cagey about the reasons for his rehab visit, it is believed that the decision was related to his ongoing health struggles and the impact they have had on his life and career.
Return to Music and Plans for a New Album
Despite these challenges, Zola 7 has remained committed to his music career. In August 2021, he announced his return to the entertainment industry, stating that he had overcome his health issues and was ready for bookings.
Zola 7 has also revealed plans to release a new album, with a tentative release date of April 24th. He has been working on new music and hopes to finalize the album soon.
Live Performances and Collaborations
In addition to his plans for a new album, Zola 7 has continued to perform live and collaborate with other artists. In October 2022, he made a surprise appearance at the A Night with Legends event in Johannesburg, performing alongside other kwaito legends such as Arthur, Kabelo, Oskido, Thebe, and Mdu.
Zola 7 has also collaborated with rapper Cassper Nyovest, joining him on stage for a performance of their 2020 single “Bonginkosi” in May 2022.
Recognition and Awards
Zola 7’s contributions to the South African music industry have not gone unnoticed. He is set to receive a Lifetime Achievement Award at the upcoming Mzansi Kwaito House Music Awards (MKHMA), honoring his impact on the industry and the country.
The MKHMA celebrates South African kwaito and house musicians and recognizes leaders in various categories.
Philanthropy and Community Work
In addition to his work in the entertainment industry, Zola 7 is known for his philanthropy and community outreach efforts. His television show, Zola 7, aired on SABC1 from 2002 to 2010 and focused on helping young people achieve their dreams and improve their lives.
More recently, Zola 7 has been involved in the docu-reality show Hope with Zola, which premiered on Moja Love in October 2018. Th
TOP-10 Scripts from Edge Studio's Voice Over Script Library
[Skyrim opens with an Imperial wagon driving four prisoners down a snowy mountain pass. All are seated and bound; the one dressed in finery is gagged.]
Ralof: Hey, you. You’re finally awake. You were trying to cross the border, right? Walked right into that Imperial ambush, same as us, and that thief over there.
Lokir: D**n you Stormcloaks. Skyrim was fine until you came along. Empire was nice and lazy. If they hadn’t been looking for you, I could’ve stolen that horse and been half way to Hammerfell. You there. You and me — we should be here. It’s these Stormcloaks the Empire wants.
Ralof: We’re all brothers and sisters in binds now, thief.
Imperial Soldier: Shut up back there!
[Lokir looks at the gagged man.]
Lokir: And what’s wrong with him?
Ralof: Watch your tongue! You’re speaking to Ulfric Stormcloak, the true High King.
Lokir: Ulfric? The Jarl of Windhelm? You’re the leader of the rebellion. But if they captured you… Oh gods, where are they taking us?
Ralof: I don’t know where we’re going, but Sovngarde awaits.
Lokir: No, this can’t be happening. This isn’t happening.
Ralof: Hey, what village are you from, horse thief?
Lokir: Why do you care?
Ralof: A Nord’s last thoughts should be of home.
Lokir: Rorikstead. I’m…I’m from Rorikstead.
[They approach the village of Helgen. A soldier calls out to the lead wagon.]
Imperial Soldier: General Tullius, sir! The headsman is waiting!
General Tullius: Good. Let’s get this over with.
Lokir: Shor, Mara, Dibella, Kynareth, Akatosh. Divines, please help me.
Ralof: Look at him, General Tullius the Military Governor. And it looks like the Thalmor are with him. D**n elves. I bet they had something to do with this. This is Helgen. I used to be sweet on a girl from here. Wonder if Vilod is still making that mead with juniper berries mixed in. Funny…when I was a boy, Imperial walls and towers used to make me feel so safe.
[A man and son watch the prisoners pull into town.]
Haming: Who are they, daddy? Where are they going?
Torolf: You need to go inside, little cub.
Haming: Why? I want to watch the soldiers.
Torolf: Inside the house. Now.
Galadriel: (speaking partly in Elvish)
(I amar prestar aen.)
The world is changed.
(Han matho ne nen.)
I feel it in the water.
(Han mathon ned cae.)
I feel it in the earth.
(A han noston ned gwilith.)
I smell it in the air.
Much that once was is lost, for none now live who remember it.
It began with the forging of the Great Rings. Three were given to the Elves, immortal, wisest and fairest of all beings. Seven to the Dwarf-Lords, great miners and craftsmen of the mountain halls. And nine, nine rings were gifted to the race of Men, who above all else desire power. For within these rings was bound the strength and the will to govern each race. But they were all of them deceived, for another ring was made. Deep in the land of Mordor, in the Fires of Mount Doom, the Dark Lord Sauron forged a master ring, and into this ring he poured his cruelty, his malice and his will to dominate all life.
One ring to rule them all.
One by one, the free lands of Middle-Earth fell to the power of the Ring, but there were some who resisted. A last alliance of men and elves marched against the armies of Mordor, and on the very slopes of Mount Doom, they fought for the freedom of Middle-Earth. Victory was near, but the power of the ring could not be undone. It was in this moment, when all hope had faded, that Isildur, son of the king, took up his father’s sword.
Sauron, enemy of the free peoples of Middle-Earth, was defeated. The Ring passed to Isildur, who had this one chance to destroy evil forever, but the hearts of men are easily corrupted. And the ring of power has a will of its own. It betrayed Isildur, to his death.
And some things that should not have been forgotten were lost. History became legend. Legend became myth. And for two and a half thousand years, the ring passed out of all knowledge. Until, when chance came, it ensnared another bearer.
It came to the creature Gollum, who took it deep into the tunnels of the Misty Mountains. And there it consumed him. The ring gave to Gollum unnatural long life. For five hundred years it poisoned his mind, and in the gloom of Gollum’s cave, it waited. Darkness crept back into the forests of the world. Rumor grew of a shadow in the East, whispers of a nameless fear, and the Ring of Power perceived its time had come. It abandoned Gollum, but then something happened that the Ring did not intend. It was picked up by the most unlikely creature imaginable: a hobbit, Bilbo Baggins, of the Shire.
For the time will soon come when hobbits will shape the fortunes of all.
To sit in solemn silence in a dull, dark, dock,
In a pestilential prison, with a life-long lock,
Awaiting the sensation of a short, sharp, shock,
From a cheap and chippy chopper on a big black block!
Do I really look like a guy with a plan, Harvey?
I don’t have a plan …
The mob has plans. The cops have plans.
You know what I am, Harvey? I am a dog chasing cars… I wouldn’t know what to do with one if I caught it.
I just do things. I am just the wrench in the gears. I hate plans.
Yours, theirs, everyone’s. Maroni has plans. Gordon has plans.
Schemers trying to control their worlds.
I am not a schemer. I show the schemer how pathetic their attempts to control things really are.
So when I say that you and your girlfriend was nothing personal, you know I am telling the truth.
I just did what I do best. I took your plan and turned it on itself.
Look what I have done to this city with a few drums of gas and a couple of bullets.
Nobody panics when the expected people gets killed. Nobody panics when things go according to plan, even if the plan is horrifying.
If I tell the press that tomorrow a gangbanger will get shot or a truckload of soldiers will be blown up, nobody panics. – because it’s all part of the plan.
But when I say that one little old mayor will die, everybody lose their minds.
Introduce a little anarchy, you upset the established order and everything becomes chaos.
I am agent of chaos.
And you know the thing about chaos Harvey?
“IT is FAIR.”
Hello, ladies, look at your man, now back to me, now back at your man, now back to me. Sadly, he isn’t me, but if he stopped using ladies scented body wash and switched to Old Spice, he could smell like he’s me. Look down, back up, where are you? You’re on a boat with the man your man could smell like. What’s in your hand, back at me. I have it, it’s an oyster with two tickets to that thing you love. Look again, the tickets are now diamonds. Anything is possible when your man smells like Old Spice and not a lady. I’m on a horse.
Share your script!
Proud of your writing?
Have a script that’s fun, unusual, challenging, or just very good?
By uploading it to the library, you help your fellow VO artists, enhance the library, and encourage others to do the same!