Tributes to Bob Mabena at service
Radio and TV veteran Bob Mabena’s children have opened up about the heartbreak they felt at losing their father.
Mabena died on Monday after suffering a cardiac arrest. He was 51.
They spoke fondly of their dad at a memorial service in Johannesburg on Thursday.
Clementine said her father always made time for his kids.
“I want to be greedy and say that I wished I had more time, but he gave me the best of himself, as he did with all of my siblings,” she said.
She called her siblings on stage and vowed to carry on her father’s legacy.
“Nobody ever saw him coming, the way his career started, and nobody saw it coming. He never played by the rules. The Jammer journey doesn’t end here, it will continue. It is in these faces.”
Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, attendance at the memorial was limited to 50 people.
Musicians Ringo Madlingozi and Judith Sephuma both performed at the service.
Several of Mabena’s close friends also took to the pulpit to pay tribute to him, including Winston Maimane, Nothemba Madumo, Given Mkhari and Melanie Bala.
Bala, who co-hosted the popular TV music show Studio Mix with Mabena, reflected on some of their great moments.
She also shared how he would always try protect her, including after a stalker began harassing her.
“It speaks to the kind of person he was. When he said he cared about you, he didn’t just say it — he showed you. Love is a verb. It’s in the things you do. That to me was one of the things I loved about him as an individual.”
The star’s family doctor and friend, Dr Tiny Mhinga, said Mabena was an inspiration to him and like the younger brother he never had.
He said he saw Mabena just days before his passing and referred him to a specialist for treatment in hospital. He spoke to the star, who was upbeat and assured him that he would be discharged on Monday, only to later learn that things had taken a turn for the worse.
“He said he was happy to go home. All of us here didn’t know what home he was talking about. Only he and his maker knew which home.”
Mabena’s funeral will be held on Saturday at 12.30pm, with a live broadcast on YouTube.