Johannesburg – After being stuck in a hospital in France for 15 days, legendary Xhosa singer Madosini Latozi Mpahleni has finally arrived back in South Africa.
On 26 November Channel24 reported that the musician, who was in Europe on a short tour, had been admitted to hospital after suffering heart complications and was unable to receive the funding needed to return home for further treatment.
Pedro Espi-Sanchis, who accompanied the singer on her trip, said in a statement at the time that Mama Madosini (as she is fondly known) needed "urgent medical repatriation".
It was later communicated that the singer's insurer, Hollard, agreed to "step in and pay for Madosini's medical costs", meaning the star would be brought back to South Africa to be with her family.
In a statement shared on Monday, Pedro confirmed that Mama Madosini had safely returned to her hometown of Langa in the Western Cape.
"Madosini has asked me to give many, many thanks to everyone who supported her in her challenging situation," the statement reads.
"The next hurdle is that Madosini needs to have heart surgery early in the new year to correct the damaged valve which was diagnosed by the doctors in France. These costs are not covered by the travel insurance but we hope to find the good will from corporate and government sources to pay for Madosini to receive the best treatment possible in South Africa and to continue enriching our lives with her spirit and her music (sic)," it goes on to say.
Some good news which Pedro adds is that Mama Madosini is to receive an honorary Doctorate from the University of Cape Town and Rhodes University.
"She learned the news from UCT just before she left for Europe and from Rhodes while she was in hospital. She will be receiving these doctorates early next year."
Compiled by Nikita Coetzee