South African musician Musa Manzini played his guitar while doctors removed a tumour in his brain.

During an awake craniotomy the patient is kept awake to avoid damaging areas of the brain that control key functions such as vision, movement and speech.

"They put me to sleep and then drilled my skull open. Once my brain was exposed, I woke up and played my guitar," Manzini explained to News24 about the six-hour operation to remove a recurring tumour from his brain.