Masuka's music was popular in
South Africa throughout the 1950s, but when her songs became more serious, the government began questioning her. Her song "Dr. Malan," mentioning difficult laws, was banned and in 1961 she sang a song for
Patrice Lumumba, which led to her exile. This exile lasted 31 years in total during which she lived in Zambia and worked as a flight attendant. She returned to Zimbabwe in 1980 after independence. On 27 April 2017 she featured in the concert "The Jazz Epistles featuring
Abdullah Ibrahim & Ekaya," at
The Town Hall,
New York City, opening the show and delivering "one passionate performance after another, warming up and winning over the crowd". Dorothy Masuka died in
Johannesburg on 23 February 2019, at the age of 83. ==References==