UPDATE: Cape Town Opera Singer’s Future Brightens (Thanks to SA Teamwork)

The future of Mapoyi Mthetho, the ‘unknown’ opera singer filmed singing outside a Bloubergstrand restaurant on Thursday, is looking a LOT brighter… thanks to Capetonian diner Nicolene Smith capturing the moment on film (see below), and to South Africans who made the video go global (and thanks to Mapoyi’s incredible talent of course!).

At midday on Friday, Nicolene – who had hoped the video would reach at least 10,000 people – was ecstatic when it had surpassed 74,000 views. By this morning it had clocked over 230,000 views!

It’s fantastic news for Mapoyi who grew up in a small Xhosa township outside Hermanus. He taught himself to sing “Italian songs” after his father abandoned the family when the talented youngster was just four. His dad left only one possession behind – a Pavarotti CD… and desperate to be close to his absent father, Mapoyi played it over and over until he could sing the words himself. (Read the full story behind the ‘unknown’ Capetonian opera singer here.)

After seeing the number of views when she woke up this morning, Nicolene wrote on SAPeople’s Facebook timeline:

There is so much love in this world!! Thank you everyone for literally making our dreams come true ❤️. The post has now started to reach Italy, AUS, NZ, South Carolina, Canada, UK, DRC and I’m sure many more. Let’s keep this young man’s voice alive until he gets a manager and a stage he so deserves!! #proudlysouthafrican

Last night – after what Nicolene described as a “long and overwhelming day (more so for Mapoyi than for me”, she spoke to him on the phone… and the news looks GREAT. Nicolene said:

He is completely overwhelmed. He says he has been on his phone the whole day. He has been invited to rehearse with the Cape Philharmonic Orchestra. He will be on the expresso show on the 29th, he had 2 radio interviews and had numerous calls from management agents. He has a mentor who will guide him through the process.

Like I said, great team work South Africa and abroad!!

Please keep on sharing, keep on posting, keep on loving❤️

She thanked everyone for their shares, tags and comments. Nicolene says she’s at a loss for words.

Thank you everyone, I am certain we have all opened a HUGE door into a bright future for this young man. You guys freaking rock my world!! …I feel so much love for our nation right now!!

To all those praising Nicolene for her post, she said:

Thank you for the kind words… I just shared a simple post, South Africa and abroad made this happen. Thank you for listening and for keeping his voice alive x

WATCH Mapoyi Mthetho singing outside Cape Town restaurant

https://www.facebook.com/nicolene.smith.14/videos/10215638956462108/?__xts__%5B0%5D=68.ARA_ekkF01GIKE98aAfIPO1k-w_XbDc4G3wNwbq3opnpRpn8n8JpvImIyyr9H2Q-ArAQ3iloO-_DLM5gnbUIPjhlVZKI9YmMw_Ub44kDPDJIqapBgbSPo8aSvbElBQK9YFUWVvXeduvlYlwNXrVAz59dudxJos_mpmoQNIVLCxqLOFbK2gkZevfxRbBJSw3Imh5r21L3MDR7rSteTmPi_POi4_vNAIAa_Rni3jkSSQ&__tn__=-R