Legendary music producer Robbie Malinga’s legacy continues as Golf Day is organised in his honour
By Edward Tsumele
His contribution to South African popular culture in general and the music industry in particular is immense, immeasurable and well respected and documented.
Many a musician that has emerged in South Africa in the 90s and the 2000s has benefitted from the generosity and the production skills of the late legendary South African music producer Robbie Malinga who seemed to have preferred to work behind the scenes, creating stars than in the limelight, though he could sing and dance for sure. This is a rare quality in an industry where it is unusual for a producer to want to be on stage just like the artists they produce, instead of confining their roles to only creating stars with their skills In the back scene of the music industry.
But working behind the scenes was Malinga’s way of operating and contributing to the industry. Those who benefitted from Malinga include a number of musicians who are today household names, such as Kelly Khumalo, Ntando, and Zahara, and his hand in their most popular albums to date is so prominent that If you know his signature sound in producing you can tell from a distance that he is involved once you hear these songs playing on radio or on a DJ set.
It is therefore signficant to know that his legacy lives on through his foundation that is in partnership with corporate players, and this will be done through a Robbie Malinga Memorial Golf Day. A media launch of this event has been penciled for Tuesday, February 15, 2022 in Johannesburg. This Golf Day event is part of the efforts to make sure that Malinga’s legacy continues to shine through community projects that empower aspiring young creatives and create cancer awareness in males. Malinga succumbed to cancer in 2017.
Officials of the RM Legacy Group, Epitome of Black Excellence (EBE) and Tabo Group have announced the inaugural Robbie Malinga Memorial Golf Day, scheduled for 4t March 2022, at the Killarney Country Club in Johannesburg.
The event is themed ‘Robbie Malinga the Legend 1968 to 2017’, and aims to honour and preserve the legacy o Malinga, the late South African music maestro who dedicated his life to helping others find their purpose and fulfill their dreams using dance and music, as a singer-songwriter and producer.
Representatives from various corporate entities and parastatals, including music industry executives, musicians and producers, who have worked and collaborated with Robbie Malinga, have been invited to participate in the inaugural ‘Robbie Malinga the Legend 1968 to 2017’, as part of the ongoing efforts to keep the musician’s name and legacy alive.
Epitome of Black Excellence President, Joel Sekoala, says they also want to demonstrate the work they do in uplifting aspiring creative minds and creating awareness about Cancer and it’s effects on males. “We believe in investing in projects that involve enriching and developing lives within communities and playing a sustainable role in grooming the talents. This passion has inspired our organisation to partner with the RM Legacy Group in an effort to sustain and promote the publication of his new book titled, ‘Robbie Malinga’ by engaging participants in activities, with the objective of targeting various platforms to market this book and improve Cancer awareness amongst males,” he explained.
Malinga’s wife, Ann Malinga, has been at the forefront of planned projects that will serve as a continuous celebration of her late husband’s legacy. She added that “many who were inspired by Robbie Malinga, were not only inspired by his role within the Arts industry, but also by the way in which his life story made an educational impact to thousands. The Robbie Malinga Legacy Group has the objective of keeping this story alive whilst inspiring those who would like to follow his footsteps.”
The event is also meant to raise funds during the inaugural golf day event, which would go toward improving programmes initiated by the Epitome of Black Excellence (EBE), including promoting the recently published Robbie Malinga book