The 68-year-old author of the highly praised musical Sarafina, based on student riots in apartheid-era Soweto, Mbongeni Ngema, passed away in a car accident on Wednesday, according to his family. The 1992 film, which Ngema co-wrote with the renowned jazz musician Hugh Masekela, was about to return with a screening in the classic section of this year’s Cannes Film Festival and a streaming release when she passed away.
His family stated, “It is with heavy hearts that we announce the sudden passing of our beloved brother, father, husband, and a patriot, Mbongeni Ngema. Ngema was killed in a head-on car accident whilst returning from attending a funeral in Eastern Cape province.” He was in the car as a passenger.
Ngema became well-known throughout Africa thanks to “Sarafina.” An earlier theatrical production ran for two years on Broadway in New York. Tony and Grammy nominations were made for it. Leleti Khumalo, who acted in the stage version and subsequently wed Ngema, and Whoopi Goldberg starred in the movie.
Along with Percy Mtwa and Barney Simon, Ngema co-wrote the play Woza Albert in 1981. A satirical look at black life in white-majority South Africa, the drama was performed throughout North and Europe. According to the family, his artwork “reflected the spirit of resistance” during the “apartheid and liberation struggles.”.
In addition, Ngema was a singer, songwriter, dancer, and actor. “Stimela sa se Zola,” another big song he co-wrote with Masekela, was one of them. Ngema’s ex-wife claimed in a book from 2020 that he had sexually molested her.
