South African musician Ringo Madlingozi has quit politics after he failed to return to parliament on an Economic Freedom Fighters (EFF) ticket following the recent elections in that country.
Madlingozi, alongside other prominent personalities, did not make the cut as the EFF failed to grow its support base in an election that saw former South African president Jacob Zuma’s Mkhonto WeSizwe party make a rousing debut on the electoral scene.
Other celebrities who joined the EFF are former Malaika lead singer, Tshedi Mholo, Eugene Mthethwa, who is one of the founding members of kwaito group Trompies.
As a casualty of the party’s performance at the poll, Ringo announced that he would no longer be actively involved in politics, as he seeks to revive his musical career. Ringo was performing at mostly EFF functions during his tenure in parliament.
“I’m no longer active in politics. I will always love my brothers and sisters. My purpose to heal through music will remain. I will die a fighter,” he wrote on X.
When asked to comment about his recent announcement by Zimoja, the musician doubled down on the fact that he had indeed quit politics.
“I said what I said. I won’t be active in politics, which part did you not understand?” he asked before hanging up
Last year, reports had emerged that Ringo was quitting the EFF, claims the Ngyagodola hitmaker denied vehemently.
“Your journalism is fraud. Your lies hide behind your ‘reliable sources’. Your wishes can never be mine. What you must write is the re-emergence of my catalogue on all digital platforms for the first time on 15 September. I’m EFF South Africa through and through…” he said.
Ringo signed a deal with Sony Music Entertainment in September last year to have the last 13 of his albums made available on streaming platforms.
Discover more from Telly Africa
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
