Tributes pour in for Mandoza, dead at 38
KING OF KWAITO BOWS OUT
FOR SEVERAL years, he connected South Africans across racial, social and economic lines, keeping them on their feet with his hit song Nkalakatha.
And yesterday, as news of his death broke, South Africans from all walks of life – including those from opposing political formations – were united in their grief, and tributes to Kwaito star Mduduzi Tshabalala, popularly known as Mandoza, 38.
Mandoza succumbed to his long battle with cancer yesterday, after he was diagnosed with a brain tumour in May last year. He was admitted to hospital a week ago but was discharged later, with his family confirming that he was home and in a stable condition. Yesterday, however, Mandoza’s family confirmed that he had died.
Mandoza’s former manager, Vaughn Eaton, was quoted as saying that the musician passed away while on his way to hospital after he experienced trouble breathing. He was with his wife, Mpho.
“On their way to the hospital, as they got to the gate of the hospital, he just passed away. He couldn’t breathe,” Eaton said, adding that the family was in a state of shock.
Yesterday afternoon a sombre mood pervaded Sithlenthle Street in Pimville, Soweto, where Mandoza lived. Local youngsters who idolised the star gathered opposite the house as news of their famous and well-loved neighbour began to hit home.
Among them was 15-year-old Sidwell Skhosana, who described the singer as his role model. “He made good music. He is the best kwaito singer. I cannot believe that he used to buy at the same spaza shop I always go to. I attended his last concert at Orlando Stadium, he was on fire that day.”
Modise Netshitandani, 13, said: “His songs were the best, I will always love 50/50 and Nkalakatha, those ones never go out of fashion. The lyrics and the beat are just magic.”
Also at the house was Eugene Mthethwa, president of the South African Music Council. He said Mandoza wanted to spend his last days performing, even though he was blind. “He said ‘Malome, I just want to perform on every gig available.’ He used to call me ‘Malome’ because Malome is a father figure, I have become a father to him and many others in the industry.
“The SABC Thank You concert provided a perfect opportunity for him to say goodbye. I appreciate that he shared his comments until the last lap of his journey.”
Mandoza’s producer, Gabriel le Roux, said he was shattered at the musician’s death. “He was like a son to me. I have worked with him for 20 years, since his first album, Chiskop. I was blessed to be part of his life to help showcase his amazing talent,” said Le Roux.
“Among the greatest memories was the day we recorded Nkalakatha; he walked into the studio and said ‘Gabi, this going to the greatest hit ever made’. I laughed and boy, he was right, it became the biggest.”
Le Roux described Mandoza as a man who loved his family: “I remember when he received the news of his first-born. We were at the airport, he was so excited.”
In a recent interview with Drum magazine, Mandoza’s wife opened up about how they believed he would beat the cancer after he did his last performance early this month at the Thank You SABC Concert.
Mpho also told the magazine about the type of cancer Mandoza had. Her husband had been diagnosed with pharyngeal carcinoma, a type of head and neck cancer that generally starts in the throat and nose.
President Jacob Zuma extended condolences on the death of Mandoza. He said South Africans had lost one of its pioneers, whose music appealed to a crosssection of people, young and old, and who was known to have achieved the unique crossover culturally enjoyed by both black and white South Africans. – Additional reporting by ANA
Kwaito superstar Mandoza died yesterday. The 38-year-old had been battling a suspected brain tumour
NKALAKATHA is township slang for top dog. For the better part of the early naughties, that is exactly what Mandoza was.
Born Mduduzi Tshabalala in Soweto, Mandoza was catapulted into national stardom by his hit song, Nkalakatha, in 2000. It was the lead single and title of his second solo album.
Frequent collaborator, Gabi le Roux, produced it. With its undeniable rock riff influence and Mandoza’s rough intonations, Nkalakatha became a hit in both black and white circles.
“With the legacy of apartheid, the majority of our people had the odds stacked against them,” said Le Roux. “In (Mandoza’s) time, it was a young democracy. But even the most right wing and racist communities adored him and that song.
“He had the freedom of any city. We can take Mandoza as an example that a good song and an artist like that can bring us together.”
At just 16, he was arrested for car theft. Later, he formed kwaito group Chiskop, with Siphiwe “The General GTZ” Sibisi and the late Sizwe “Lollipop” Motaung and Sibusiso “Bless” Thanjakwayo. They signed to Arthur Mafokate’s 999 record label and had a hit, called Klaima.
In the late ’90s, Chiskop worked closely with Le Roux under his company, Groove City, with house music maverick Tim White. “In 1999, we decided Mandoza was the most obvious one to launch as a solo artist first,” says Le Roux. Thanjakwayo and Motaung sadly passed away and, now, General is the last surviving member of Chiskop.
Mandoza released his debut album, 9II5 Zola South. It spawned the hit single, Uzoyithola Kanjani which featured General. “When we made the song, we didn’t know how it would impact people,” says General.
“Amajita ekasi (guys in the hood) didn’t have jobs at that time but they told us that when the song came out, they got up from the corner and went and looked for jobs. It was an inspirational anthem.”
Collaborations
Another anthem – albeit for the nation and not just for the corner – came in the form of Nkalakatha. The multi-South African Music Award-winning Nkalakatha album went on to sell in excess of 350 000 units, making Mandoza a platinumselling artist.
Mandoza released a well-selling album a year. There was Godoba, then Tornado, then Sgelegeqe (the first single that wasn’t produced by Le Roux, but by DJ Cleo), and then in 2004, Mandoza collaborated with pop crooner Danny K on an album, called Same Difference.
Although their respective record labels weren’t initially sold on the album, Danny K says: “EMI and Gallo did a joint venture and the album went gold within a week. It was a different time in the country because collabs across the colour lines were still quite unique, so people were quite taken by Same Difference. I guess it proved that we could work together despite our differences.”
It scooped the Sama for Best Pop Album as well as a Channel O Music Award. When Mandoza released Phunyuka Bamphete in 2005, the music landscape was changing. Artists were no longer selling as well as they used to and the paparazzi culture was growing.
Mandoza became tabloid headline fodder and, in 2008, he was involved in a car accident that claimed the lives of two people.
Vaughn Eaton, who was Mandoza’s business and personal manager from 1999 to 2009, says: “He’s been very upset at media occasionally.”
Eaton also says 2008 was “extremely challenging for him as an individual. He had gone through the whole process in terms of the court case and the challenges that came with it.”
Curwyn Eaton, who managed Mandoza from 2009 to 2015, says the only thing that helped Mandoza rise above his adversities was making more music. It was only on Mandoza’s 13th album, Sgantsontso (released in 2013), that the kwaito star started to feel like the public was receptive to him again.
But even so, Mandoza was plagued by illness and was frequently in hospital. At the time of his death, he had been diagnosed with a brain tumour.
Mandoza is survived by his wife, Mpho, and three children.