Just a few days before the national elections, musician Thomas Mashavha, stage-named Thomly, was a busy man. Each day, he could be seen in central Thohoyandou with a speaker playing his music at full blast.

The 59-year-old, originally from Midoroni outside Louis Trichardt but now based at Golgotha, has become a “self-styled IEC employee” raising awareness among shoppers about the importance of voting. His new eight-track album, “Botsotso Volume Two”, launched last week, has become an instant hit, catapulting the relatively little-known musician into the spotlight.

Hits like “Cellular” and “Voutu” stand above the rest and are receiving massive airplay on different radio stations. “Voutu” has become like a national anthem, even though it is not available on digital platforms.

“On this album, I worked with the likes of Chigomboza and all-rounder Nelton Dama. The album was recorded at Nelton Dama’s Road to Fame Studio at Tshifulanani. It is not surprising that the album is doing so well because of the contributions of the two well-rounded musicians,” he said.

He added that he had decided to promote voting after realising that many people were against voting, citing lack of service delivery as the reason. “People should go out in their numbers to vote. Your vote is your voice, and after the elections, you can hold the politicians accountable,” Thomly said.

Thomly started off in 2015 as a dancer for the popular megastar Makhadzi. His first album, “Botsotso Volume One”, was recorded in 2021.