Staying Power

Songstress WINNIE KHUMALO, 44, has another hit with DJ Cleo. She talks about that, her health scare and running a business.

- Mpumi Zulu

Winnie Khumalo hasn’t been well lately. She looks tired and frail. She walks slowly with a limp and her breathing is heavy. I meet with her at our offices in Auckland Park. She’s just come from her doctor consultation at Chris Hani Baragwanath Hospital where she’s taking treatment in preparation for her upcoming surgery in June. I ask if she’s okay to do the interview. If we postponed, she says, we might not get another opportunity as she’s going on tour soon, starting in Botswana. I start the chat by asking about her health, the news of her collapsing in DJ Cleo’s studio during recording, and whether going on tour in her condition is really a good idea.

“People get sick all the time, and it was bound to happen to me too. Yes, I haven’t been well lately, but I’m not dying. The stories I’ve been reading about my health are exaggerated. The real truth is that my illness is due to a combination of three things: I have stomach ulcers, which were diagnosed in 2013; I’m taking treatment to repair an injury I suffered in 2008 when I fell on stage during a performance of the Brenda Fassie Musical; and I just work too hard.