A South African-born German-based opera singer brought good news to children in rural areas, when he came to South Africa with an entourage of opera singers and music lovers.

Musa Nkuna has come back to South Africa and endeared himself to local communities in Giyani and Elim. He has been in Germany for the last 12 years after staying in Switzerland for two years. He recently took a group of people from Germany and Switzerland to inspect the living conditions in Elim, Valdesia and Giyani.

Nkuna is the son of one of the best choral music masters in Giyani, Leslie Nkuna. On Monday, he met the community of Ngove outside Giyani with his entourage. He had good news for local children in the impoverished area: they can be trained to perform or to make musical instruments. He said he was identifying children from rural areas who could pursue a career in music.

“Some will be taught to play musical instruments, while others will be trained in the field of repairing them. I have many people abroad who can finance our rural pupils to carve careers for themselves in the area of music,” said Nkuna. He urged rural children to embrace classical music, saying that research had shown that opera music instilled discipline.

Nkuna started the International Classical Music Festival in Limpopo as a way of ploughing back into his community. Last Friday, the event took place in Polokwane and on Saturday in Elim. A concert was held in Giyani on Tuesday and Nkuna performed with a group from Switzerland.

Nkuna sponsors the Malamulele Adult Choir as well as their Giyani counterparts. “I am ploughing back because I grew up in these areas. Initially, people thought that opera was only for whites. Now the situation has changed and our people must have the benefit of freedom and get into terrains which were forbidden in the past,” he said.

Mr John Khambani, who represented the Ngove traditional council, said the community was impressed by the tourists. “They have even seen our crèche and it seems something will be done about the remaining poverty in our area,” said Khambani.

Cllr Million Rikhotso of the Greater Giyani Municipality also praised Nkuna. “We are happy to have someone like Nkuna, who knows his roots,” said Rikhotso.