Shadrack Ngema: Versatile sports commentator and TV’s ‘Magubane’
1950-2015
VETERAN broadcaster and actor Shadrack Ngema, who has died from heart-related complications in Durban at the age of 65, was a versatile sports commentator who could effortlessly switch from one sporting code to another.
As a sports announcer on the then Radio Bantu and Ukhozi FM, Ngema shone not only as a soccer commentator but was also equal to the task of reporting horse racing and cricket.
A former professional boxer, he used his knowledge to good effect to commentate during bouts in the ring.
His versatility made him equally at home covering Comrades marathons.
Few compared to him in terms of Zulu commentary on horse racing and soccer — with the exception of his late former colleague, the legendary Phillip Babayi Zwane whose “lisenethini” trademark (“It’s a goal”) Ngema emulated.
Fans were also entertained by his observations during the popular Durban July.
Ngema had the ability to take the punters to Greyville Racecourse with the power of his voice, getting them to visualise the horses as they sprinted to the finish line. He did the same for soccer.
Perhaps his only commentating drawback was that his husky voice was too laid-back for those listeners who preferred a more fast-paced, adrenaline-fuelled voice in a sports commentator.
While he usually conducted himself with the utmost professionalism, he sometimes committed inexcusable schoolboy errors, such as mentioning a player who was not even on the soccer field on that particular day.
To many TV viewers, Ngema will be remembered for his role as Magubane in the popular sitcom Emzini Wezinsizwa, which was broadcast on SABC1 between 1994 and 2004.
Emzini Wezinsizwa was about life in the hostels and it succinctly portrayed how people from diverse backgrounds with different languages could live together in harmony.
Ngema was head-hunted to play the role of Magubane, a semi-literate Zulu man who worked in the big city of Johannesburg as a post office messenger by day and plied his trade as an inyanga (traditional healer) when he was off duty. Magubane worked out of Room 8, the most controversial and popular room at the hostel.
In an interview in 2002, Ngema related how he had once fooled a generation of township urchins into believing he was really an inyanga.
“Some years ago, before moving to newer sections of a Durban township, I had a medium-sized orchard in my yard where I had grown mangoes.
‘School-going kids loved invading it on their way to and from school. I got an ingenious idea of mixing black polish and fine sawdust together. I mixed them thoroughly and smeared the mixture on some portions of the fruit.
“I enjoyed the fruits of my toil happily ever after without a single one lost to the boys,” he said.
In real life Ngema’s appearance was so deceiving you could easily be fooled into thinking that he was indeed an inyanga.
He once proudly quipped in an interview: “I guess the part was tailor-made for me because people truly believe I am an inyanga. They consult me for all sorts of ailments.”
Apart from Emzini Wezinsizwa, Ngema also played the role of Joko, one of the king’s generals, in the miniseries Shaka Zulu.
His acting talent spread to radio drama and his voice could be heard in a number of Zulu dramas on Ukhozi FM. For this he scooped the best radio actor awards three times in a row.
He related how he had fooled a generation of township urchins into believing he was really an inyanga
A fan of Dolly Parton and Kenny Rogers, Ngema also presented a weekly country music programme.
Ngema, who worked for the SABC for 30 years before his retirement in 2013, joined the then Radio Zulu as a driver and worked his way up to become a sports commentator. He retired from the SABC in 2013.
A divorced father of four, Ngema was born in KwaMaphumulo, KwaZulu-Natal, on October 10 1950, the last of four siblings — three brothers and a sister.
He completed his primary school at Umphumulo Primary and then went to Umphumulo Secondary. He moved to Durban to look for job opportunities, which resulted in his landing a job with the SABC.
Ngema is survived by his four children and a sister. — Bongani Mthethwa