Gospel star who rose from poverty
THE glamorous public life of gospel great Sfiso Ncwane was born of hardship that forced him out of school in Grade 2, says his grandfather.
Ncwane died suddenly on Monday morning after a short illness, the cause of death believed to be kidney failure. He had collapsed at home in Johannesburg on Sunday night.
His funeral will be this Saturday at Durban’s Moses Mabhida stadium. A memorial service will be held at the eThekwini Community church tomorrow.
Ncwane was the epitome of glamour and style at music events and awards ceremonies, but his grandfather, Amos Ncwane, said he had risen from impossible circumstances.
“He did not grow up well, he did not have the comfort and the love of his parents. He was born out of wedlock and his parents never married.
“We know that he went looking for his father and found him; he never told us what came out of that, so we are not sure who his father is.
“When he was born, his mother Fikile could not raise him, so she gave him to her sister to raise. She lived very far from school so Sfiso would have to travel long distances to get to school.”
At times, said his grandfather, he would also live with another aunt who lived closer to the school. “He did not get a chance to study.”
Reports have said that Ncwane dropped out in Grade 2 but later managed to learn to read, write and speak English. He studied at Hyman Combined Primary School in Qoloqolo on the KwaZuluNatal South Coast.
Ncwane said his grandson found life and prosperity in music.
“He went to live in Durban and that was when he started joining music groups. He first started singing a cappella, but the people who he sang with told him he was more suited to sing gospel. That was when he went to Johannesburg to pursue a career as a gospel artist.”
The last time he saw his grandson was earlier this year.
“It was after his mother had been unhappy with him after he bought a car for a pastor.”
He said it was still hard to believe his grandson was gone. “We had already been told what had happened, but I saw his face in the papers and I knew it was true.”
Ncwane’s aunt, Smangele Ncwane, told how she received the news. “I was working at school and I received a call from my sister, she was crying. All she could say was ‘Sfiso, Sfiso’. I could not understand what she was talking about.
“I called his sister Gugu, who was also crying, and finally I got through to Ayanda’s assistant who told me that Sfiso was no more.”
She said South Africans should celebrate Sfiso’s life with his music.
THE YEAR 2016 has robbed us of musical greats, and just as the country was still recovering from the loss of kwaito legend Mduduzi Mandoza Tshabalala, another great musician, Sfiso Ncwane, bowed out.
Ncwane’s life was cut short on the same day the country lost Nelson Mandela three years ago, and while he was no Struggle icon, Ncwane’s was also a life that touched many South Africans, who reacted to news of his death with shock.
Like Mandoza, the Kulungile Baba hit-maker was loyal to his fans to the end. While Mandoza, who had been battling a renewed cancer scare, had taken to the stage to perform for the last time at the SABC Thank You Concert days before his death, Ncwane also pushed his ailing body on to the stage at the Kaya FM Music Festival in Roodepoort on Sunday.
Unlike Mandoza, he was too weak to perform, but he managed to appear on stage before bowing out. He wanted to apologise to his fans for his inability to perform; little did his fans know that that would be the last time they would see him.
On social media, many asked: Why another star so soon? But kidney failure won in the end. We can only hope Ncwane’s tunes that set dancefloors on fire at gospel music shows will comfort his family.
Apart from his many hit songs, Ncwane will be remembered by his fans for his ability to overcome tremendous odds. Coming from a poor rural background and a Grade 2 education, he was destined for a life of extreme poverty and hardship. However, Ncwane refused to allow his past to influence his future. He used his talent, which he discovered at a very young age, to carve a niche for himself in the cut-throat music industry.
He was more than a gospel singer; he was a social commentator who gave people hope and courage to soldier on. His multiplatinum hit song Kulungile Baba became something of a national anthem, not only for gospel lovers, but music fans throughout the country.
Our hope is that his story will not die with him, but will be used to inspire young people across the country.
We hope Sfiso’s wife, Ayanda, will find the courage to pick up the pieces and be strong for the children.
May his soul rest in peace.