Voice of Joburg: Music man

We at City Buzz love music, so what better than to run into a musician?

We’ve all seen the men who play their musical instruments in the parking spaces at various malls – now it’s time to tell the story of Tomas.

Tomas Nhassavela from Mozambique is one of the musically-inclined, self-taught musicians who plays his guitar outside the elevators in the parkade at The Zone in Rosebank.

“This is my job. Every day when I wake up, I come here to play,” said the Afro-jazz guitarist.

Asked where else he’s played his music, Nhassavela responded, “The best places to play here in South Africa is Rosebank. Maybe one day it could be Cape Town, but now I’m here.”

The foreign national, who now resides in Soweto, explained that while he loves music, it’s hard to save enough money to do all the things he’d like to. “I don’t get a lot of money from playing here, but it’s better than sitting at home.

“In my life, I always wanted to be a musician, but at this time in my life there’s no chance for me. There’s no chance for me to record. It’s very expensive to hire out a studio to record in.”

Proactive in making his dreams come true, this is not the first attempt the aspiring musician has made to break into the world of music. “I used to play in a church band at different churches. There’s no money there, but we love our God so it’s okay.”

Looking to the future, Nhassavela is still optimistic about his music career and hopes that he can achieve the goals he has set out for himself. “I’m still saving up to rent studio space so that I can record. I’d like to record at least one album in my life.”