Remembering Robbie Malinga

BUSINESS-MINDED: HE OWNED THE WHOLE CATALOGUE OF HIS MUSIC

We are going to miss his creativity, his smile and laughter, a music company representative said.

Legendary Afro-pop singer/producer Robbie Malinga was yesterday hailed for mastering the business side of the music industry and avoiding the stigma of dying poor despite having been a successful artist.

One of Malinga’s mentees, Sbusiso “Dj Sbu” Leope, said Malinga had been a smart musician who established the publishing company of his music – meaning he owned the whole catalogue of his music.

In 2015, Malinga started his own record company Robbie Malinga Entertainment which houses artists such as Musa Sukwene, Sammisto and Maxi. Before then, Malinga was a producer and writer and was artists and repertoire rep at Universal Music SA.

Universal Music SA representative Matwetwe Ntombini said the company was behind Malinga’s family all the way and urged the family to be strong.

“We are going to miss his creativity, his discovering [of] talent every month, his smile and laughter. We will also miss his smell because he wore expensive and unique colognes,” Ntombini said.

Malinga’s friend and Mpumalanga businessperson Johan Sibiya said he was saddened and disappointed. Sibiya said he had shared a business-minded friendship with Malinga and they always encouraged each other.

“When I bought all the Jet Music stores in the country because music houses were shutting down, I wanted South African musicians to have a place to sell their music. Robbie was the first to give me a call and congratulate me,” he said.

“The Jet Music in Maponya Mall will miss him a lot because that is where he would promote a lot of his music. We want government to acknowledge artists because they create a lot of jobs and contribute a lot of tax. But there are no parliamentarians that are standing up for artists despite the artists’ work being pirated and exploited by people on the streets. They don’t even have protection from the state.”

Malinga died at home on Christmas Day after a long illness following his diagnosis with pancreatic cancer.

Pictures: Refilwe Modise IMMORTALISED. Robbie Malinga’s son, Robbie Jnr, walks back to his seat after unveiling his father’s tombstone and reading the inscription at the Westpark Cemetery in Johannesburg, yesterday.

SOMBRE. Singer Kelly Khumalo pays her last respects at the funeral of musician Robbie Malinga, yesterday.