The news of musical icon, Dr Sibongile Khumalo’s passing sent shockwaves through the country on Thursday evening.
The 63-year-old died as a result of diabetes and recent strokes, family spokesperson, Bandile Mngoma said in a statement.
READ MORE | Dr Sibongile Khumalo has passed away after stroke-related complications
Since the news of her passing, many tributes have been pouring in on social media for the fallen icon. In a detail thread, musician, Thandiswa Mazwai reminisced about the special moments she shared with Mam’ Sibongile Khumalo – as she was affectionately called.
“A thread about me & Mam' Sibongile Khumalo. When I first saw MaMngoma on stage it was at the grahamstown arts festival in, maybe 1995 or 96. I think it was the same year we saw Ubu and the truth commission, but that’s another story,” she began explaining.
A thread about me& mamSibongile Khumalo. When I first saw MaMngoma on stage it was at the grahamstown arts festival in, maybe 1995 or 96. I think it was the same year we saw Ubu and the truth commission, but that’s another story.
— Thandiswa Mazwai (@thandiswamazwai) January 28, 2021
At the time, Thandiswa was a young student at WITS and they had been on an excursion to the Grahamstown music festival where she heard Sibongile Khumalo perform live for the first time.
“On the night of the show a heavy mist hung over Rhini [Grahamstown] with an icy bite and a slight drizzle. She was playing at a venue by the old train station and we had gotten a ride from someone who could only take us so far but not all the way…,” she wrote before describing what she felt when she heard Mam’ Sibongile sing.
READ MORE | 5 songs to remember Mam’ Sibongile Khumalo by
“We proceeded inside the venue. Mam' Sibongile had already started, and she stood like an ornament on the stage playing her violin. I was floored! I had never seen a black woman with a violin! Her playing felt like a mother’s touch or a lullaby when you are tired from the world. I had never felt this in such close proximity. Then she opened her mouth and sang. I was forever changed and forever a student at her feet,” Thandiswa described.
We walked in the cold for what seemed like an eternity, certain that we were lost. But then an old disused locomotive train stood like hope in the distance & we went on. I remember being momentarily fascinated by its archaic presence as we arrived.I may have even taken a picture
— Thandiswa Mazwai (@thandiswamazwai) January 28, 2021
Years later, the two met through music and formed an inseparable bond. Thandiswa revealed how she’d send her unreleased albums to Mam’ Sibongile and would receive feedback from her before releasing the songs.
“She would give me an honest and kind response. She always made it seem like she was hearing something special. This propelled me to always try and impress her,” she wrote.
Thandiswa then went on to share the stage with Mam’ Sibongile and Gloria Bosman at the London Jazz Festival in 2015.
“The trio began with a delicate a cappella treatment of Hlanganania, a glorious reminder of South Africa’s harmony tradition. Khumalo then performed a single easy-going ballad, backed by her impressive jazz trio, before handing over to her guests. Returning later, she hinted at her operatic skills and was at her best with the extraordinary new Grace and Mercy. Driven on by pianist Mduduzi Mtshali, she switched from a slow lament to an exhilarating section in which she put down the microphone and still dominated the hall with the power of her singing,” wrote Robin Denselow for The Gaurdian.
Read Thandiswa’s full thread below:
A thread about me& mamSibongile Khumalo. When I first saw MaMngoma on stage it was at the grahamstown arts festival in, maybe 1995 or 96. I think it was the same year we saw Ubu and the truth commission, but that’s another story.
— Thandiswa Mazwai (@thandiswamazwai) January 28, 2021