Who Is Black Coffee?
Nkosinathi Innocent Maphumulo popularly called Black Coffee is South Africa, and Africa’s most celebrated DJ. The talented muso has taken Mzansi to the world, and made us proud everytime. However, many are usually shocked seeing him with his left hand in his pocket.
For years now, Coffee’s incapacitated hand has been a huge topic in the media. Fans have wondered what happened to him, and why he only deejays with his right hand.
Anele Mdoda Interview
In a recent chat with Anele Mdoda (who claims she’s heard 3 different versions of the story), he revealed what really happened to his arm.
What Really Happened To Black Coffee’s Hand (The Accident)
The true story is that Black Coffee suffered a hand injury in 1990 on the eve of the late Nelson Mandela’s release from prison. According to him, he was staying with his grandmother in Mthatha at the time. Coffee had joined a crowd celebrating Madiba’s release and was not aware of a taxi which had rammed into them. He describes the sound of the accident as the sound of gunshots.
He revealed that at first, something hit him and then everything went blank. He woke up as people were being rushed to the hospital and the taxi was being pulled away from the scene. He found himself in one of the vehicles taking the accident victims to the hospital. Unfortunately, the hospital could not tell what exactly was wrong with him and let him go home (in pain) the next day. He recalls sitting at home (still in excruciating pain) and watching Mandela leave prison.
What Happened After The Accident?
With the advice of his grandmother, he left Mthatha for Durban where he stayed in a hospital for about 3 months. After a specialist was brought in to ascertain what really went wrong with his arm, it was revealed that he had suffered a Brachial Plexis injury.
Why He Keeps His Hand In The Pocket
After the revelation, which means that the nerves in his left arm, connecting to his shoulder had been damaged. As a result he had lost sensation in / and the complete use of his arm.
The Hand Therapy
At the time, nothing could be done to repair it. Coffee reveals that he has only started feeling some sensation again (from shoulder to his elbow) recently. He also revealed that he recently began exercising the arm. When asked by Mdoda if he would ever want to return to the hospital to see if it can be fixed (due to the advancement of technology), he said he won’t. According to him, he doesn’t want to be used as a “Guinea pig”.
He further revealed that he sees it as God’s plan for his life. He can’t imagine deejaying with two hands. In his opinion, he might not even be as good as he is now.
