Mayibongwe laid to rest in E51 000 casket

LMayibongwe

OBAMBA –A special send-off. Award-winning Gospel artist

Mthimkhulu was sent off in a casket worth E51 000.

The funeral was held at her husband’s home at Mahlanya, Don Don yesterday morning, after a vigil which was attended by over 400 mourners.

The artist left behind a legacy in the local Gospel industry where she won two awards and walked away with two cars on different occasions. The first achievement she bagged was back in 2014 when she won Swaziland’s Best Artist award at the Swaziland Gospel Music Awards. The second one was in the same category in 2016. She was not only a Gospel artists, but a qualified teacher who was based at St Mark’s Primary School.

Her St Mark’s pupils made sure to attend the vigil and took to the stage and honoured her with a song just like they did during her memorial service held on Friday at All Nations Christian Church in Zion hall in Ezulwini.

SAD EMOTION

The funeral was filled with sad emotion as family, relatives, friends as well as fans were in tears at the loss of Mthimkhulu.

Also present were; prominent South African Bishops Dlomo and Bishop Vusi Kunene from Nhlazatje who came to pay their last respects.

Dups Funeral Home was in charge of the burial and a four corner wood turning alligator cherry casket worth E51 000 was used to send off the local musician. The All Nations Christian Church in Zion choir led the programme in song from the vigil to the final resting place.

They sang with energy and expertise holding the service all night long with the support of the massive mourners who also stayed awake the whole night.

Mbabane Swallows players and fans also made an appearance during the vigil as well as some local artists such as Frans Dlamini, Gcina Masuku and Scara Maziya.

The programme was packed with important speeches made by South African Bishops as well as local ministries such as the League of African Churches which was represented by the President Bishop Samson Hlatjwako, Association of Christian Artists in Eswatini (ACAESWA) represented by Nhlanhla Mathunjwa, St Mark’s Primary School represented by Lucky Nkambule, All Nations Christian Church in Zion represented by its Vice Chairperson Bishop Kunene, as well as the Mthimkhulu family which was represented by the deceased’s brother Dominic Mshumayeli Mthimkhulu. All the speakers mentioned that the late musician was a respectful person who was special by nature and further sent condolences to the Lukhele family, especially the musician’s husband, Archbishop Bheki Lukhele.

According to the programme, she was to be laid to rest at 5am in the morning but ended up being laid to rest after 7am due to the lengthy programme.

All Nations Christian Church in Zion leader Archbishop Bheki Lukhele overcome with emotion during the burial of his wife.

(Pics: Mxolisi Dlamini) The late award-winning Gospel artist Mayibongwe Mthimkhulu’s casket worth E51 000.

St Mark’s Primary School pupils honouring the late artist with a song. (INSET) Lucky Nkambule was also one of the speakers who spoke on behalf of St Mark’s Primary School, where the deceased was a teacher.

The mourners who had come to pay their last respects to the late singer.