Celeb Twitter Round-Up: Nhlanhla Mafu Reveals She’s Got Hearing Loss Problems

Mafikizolo frontwoman Nhlanhla Mafu has opened up on her ongoing battle with hearing loss, garnering much support from her fans in the process.

On Monday, 10 July, Mafu uploaded a video of her visiting an audiologist onto her Instagram account – in it, she describes her struggles with hearing loss, which had impacted (and still continues to impact) both her professional and social life.

This includes having bandmate Theo Kgosinkwe repeating interviewers’ questions back to her or answering them for her, and laughing while conversing with friends because she didn’t want to let on that she couldn’t hear them.

“At some point in my life I really felt embarrassed when I have to do interviews, and I’m with my partner Theo and he has to always repeat the questions,” she is heard saying. “[In the company of friends] I had to be agreeable to everything because I can’t hear … I was really embarrassed to say I’m having this problem until I realised I’m doing this for my own good.”

At least Mafu is taking it all in her stride, as her visit shows. In fact, she’s now partnered up with LS Audiology Hearing & Balance to promote their Hearing Health Awareness campaign, which raises awareness around the condition, deafness prevention and earcare.

Over on Twitter, fans were saddened by Mafu’s news but showed her their love and support:

This also made them see Theo Kgosinkwe in a different light:

Some tweeps likened her situation to US rapper Foxy Brown, who also suffers from hearing loss:

@Its_Stashly tried to understand what this means for Mafu, to which @Drewonzw gave a most erudite response:

Others tried to compare Mafu’s situation with history’s most famous musical figures – whether to dismiss her, or as a way of saying that it’s not (and shouldn’t be) the end of the world for her, we can’t quite pinpoint, but we’re going with the latter:

Regardless, it’s pretty brave of Nhlanhla Mafu to open up about her hearing loss, because it’s definitely one of those conditions that leave sufferers feeling down in their spirits. By sharing her journey, she’s giving others like her a voice and a boost in their self-esteem. Plus, it’s making the rest of us able folks more aware – here’s hoping we all hear it loud and clear while we still can!

Image Credit: Source