Winnie Khumalo hailed by artists, politicians and celebrities for being rooted, humble and creating beautiful music with her Angelic voice
The late vocalist was hailed by artists, politicians and celebrities at a memorial service held at a packed John Kani Theatre at the Market Theatre in Newtown, on Wednesday, January 15, 2025.
By Edward Tsumele, CITYLIFE/ARTS Editor
Over the years there has been increasingly three ways of remembering the departed in this country, particularly within the creative and cultural sector -simply mourning them, mourning and celebrating them, and simply celebrating their lives.
Those whose lives are simply mourned are those artists who still had a lot to accomplish artistically, but their lives cut short by death. Those whose lives are both celebrated and mourned are those who already had substantially accomplished a lot and had in all respects, found their life’s purpose only to be sabotaged by death, which like a thief in the night deals them a premature deathly blow. And yet there are those artists who had not only found their purpose in life, but in all respects explored their talent maximally and have been hugely appreciated by the communities and societies from where they came from, as well as from elsewhere in the world.
Examples in this country would include the late South African flugelhorn player Bra Hugh Masekela and the late music legend Miriam Makeba. Of course we would have loved to see more of them, but death came, an inevitable reality in human existence. However, when it comes to their accomplishments and their purpose in life, we are left with no doubt, but appreciate that they gave their lot to us. They gifted us with their talent and contributed immensely to human civilization and intellectual growth as they provoked us to think more broadly about the purpose of life through their artistic output.
These thoughts flooded my mind as I took my seat in a fully packed John Kani Theatre at the Market Theatre in Newtown on Wednesday, January 15, 2025, while former Cabinet Minister Jeff Radebe, was eulogizing the late vocalist and serial session musician and collaborator Winnie Khumalo. Winnie passed on after a short illness Winnie Khumalo died on 7 January. Her funeral will be held on Saturday at the Protea South Multipurpose Hall
Radebe, who has the distinction of having been the longest serving Cabinet Minister in post-apartheid South Africa had over the years built a friendship with the late vocalist.
In fact, Winnie, who among other artists has worked with Brothers of Peace (BOP), DJ Cleo and Bongo Maffin was both celebrated and mourned during the memorial service. This is because all though she had enriched us culturally with her beautiful, Angelic voice that she generously shared with several musicians as a collaborator and session musician, we still wanted more from her. But death, like a thief in the stealth of the night and under the cover of darkness robbed us of that. But this is not to suggest though that Winnie had not made us rich culturally with her abundant artistry, but she still had more in her to offer to the country, before she was sabotaged by death. That is why speaker after speaker in their messaging to the packed theatre spoke with a peculiar sense of both celebration and mourning.
Radebe was full of praises for Winnie, with whom he seemed to have made connection first, and then friendship. This is when as head of policy at Luthuli House in 2009, he and veteran musician Sello ‘Chicco’ Thwala as producer, worked with her as one of the vocalists on an ANC music project. Radebe told the gathering in the theatre which was made up of mainly artists and celebrities who came to celebrate and mourn the late musician in such big numbers that it resembled the memorial service held at the same venue of the late Xhosa praise poet Jessica Mbangeni last year. Many tuned up to the event that by 12noon doors were closed and a security guard was stationed outside to inform people that the venue was full.
“I last saw Winnie exactly a month ago, December 15, 2024 in Centurion where she had come for a full Spa treatment. This is where I took this the photograph on the screen with her. She was full of life and there was no sign of an illness. Little did I know that today I would be here speaking at Winnie’s memorial service,’ he said.
He then went on praising the late singer through her clan name, evoking the name of Mzilikazi Khumalo, the patriarch of the Khumalo Clan, who led his people from Zululand (KwaZulu-Natal) to Zimbabwe, settling in present day Buluwayo during Mefecane the hmassive human migration that took place in Southern Africa in the 19th Century. The crowd appreciated the former minister’s impressive recitation of her ancestral tradition and roots.
Others who spoke include Sello Chicco Thwala, who revealed that working with Winnie was a pleasure, irrespective of the fact that their in-studio relationship was punctuated by several fights that only lasted a day as the following day they made up, as if nothing had happened between them only a few hours ago. DJ Cleo also confirmed the late vocalist’s complexity of character.
Music producer-turned politician Thembinkosi ‘TK’ Nciza, the Gauteng Secretary General of the ANC spoke broadly of the role artists play in society beyond music, likening Winnie’s contribution to society to that of the late Miriam Makeba during apartheid. Nciza with DJ S’bu are credited with discovering and producing the late South African vocalist Zahara from her humble Eastern Cape origins into a hugely successful artist celebrated around the African continent and beyond for her haunting vocals powerful lyrical content in her music.
“I worked with her and we actually fought several times, but soon our fight would be forgotten and we would work together again. This is surprising because in the sector I have a reputation of being short-tempered and once an artist crosses my path the wrong me, I never work with that artist. But with Winnie, it was surprisingly different,” DJ Cleo revealed.
Oskido, the hugely talented veteran producer, performer and the person credited with being at the forefront of musical creativity in the country, particularly pioneering the kwaito sound, spoke fondly of Winnie since from the time he first met her in 2008. The legendary kwaito recording label, of which Oskido is one of the directors, took her under its wings, shepherding her to great musical heights, taking her from the obscure position of a back up artist, to the front row as a recording artist and performer in her own right. It was in fact after recording with Kalawajazz that Winnie’s solo career shot up. It was as if the country had discovered a new artist, yet she had been there all along as a session musician and collaborator.
But Oskido and his label, a label that is known to assist artists while their career is at the top, to think beyond the stage and studios, but looking at the business side of things, inculcated business and existential sense in Winnie. It paid off.
“After recording her ever best album to date, that sold well and bookings started rolling in, we sat down with Winnie after her first royalties were paid to start building her bank profile, something which is problematic in South Africa. Winnie therefore never touched her royalties for six months, after which she only used 15% of her royalties and the rest, she got a bond to buy her house in Protea,” Oskido explained.
It was clear at the memorial service that Winnie a humble soul who never allowed her success get into her head and cloud her judgment, was much loved by the industry This is not because of her diva shenanigans, a disease affecting many in the sector, but because she remained rooted, humble and created great music with her Angelic voice.
As an expression of love, a beautiful drawing, an eye catching, skillfully crated drawing of Winnie was unveiled and donated to her family during the memorial services prompting co-programme director Somizi to remark: “Rasta wherever you are, just forget it.” This was in reference to a well-known artist Joburg based artist, called Rasta whose specialization is to draw portraits of dead famous people, but whose rendition leaves many laughing about how his pictures are so distorted that the dead would be turning in their grave. However ironically the living in South Africa have come to love and even embrace the artist’s rendition distorted or not, with no resemblance to the dead artists whatsoever.
However, the late Winnie Khumalo’s image that was unveiled at the massive send off on Wednesday, is the opposite of what Rats would have drawn. It is so detailed and so well done, it could pass for a photograph.