SOUTH Africans were still reeling from the murder of Rhythm City actor Dumi Masilela in a botched hijacking when the news came through. Another celebrity had been hijacked – although in this case Vusi Nova’s life was spared and he is eternally grateful he lived to tell the tale.

And what a tale it is. The Afropop singer is sporting a bandage over his right eye, a sober reminder of the night he and a friend were driven around by four armed men who repeatedly threatened to kill them before ordering them to strip naked and dumping them in different locations on a freezing Joburg night. It’s just days after his harrowing ordeal when we meet the Thandiwe hitmaker and Sihle Mdaka at Vusi’s record label, Muthaland Entertainment, in Parkview.

“I was scared,” Vusi says. “I thought they were going to kill us.”

He’s reliving the nightmare “because I want to make people aware that such things happen. Sometimes it happens so quickly.”

Vusi, born Vusumzi Nongxa (32), and members of a new band, 047, had just retur ned home from the launch of his stablemate Ntando’s album.

Vusi discovered the three-man band, Sihle Mdaka (21), Lihle Baleni (20) and Ngcali Nundu (19), in Mthatha. The group, who derives their name from the area code of their hometown, was excited to be introduced to music lovers and industry insiders and eagerly joined Vusi at Ntando’s performance. They were accompanied by Vusi’s friend Buntu Qumbela.

After the launch the five friends drove to Melville, where Vusi asked a taxi driver he knew to follow them to his house nearby. The driver agreed to drop 047 in Doornfontein where they were staying, Vusi says.

“At the gate of my house I saw this car, which had apparently been following us. Four guys jumped out. They were armed.”