Steve Kekana sings his final goodbye

When legendary blind musician Steve Kekana took to the stage on June 20 for a duet alongside some other giants of the industry, little did he and they know that was his finally goodbye.

Kekana, who became blind at the age of five years, died in Zebediela in Limpopo on the morning of July 1 due to complications of diabetes. He was aged 63. Zebediela [corrupted] is a group of villages named after Ndebele Chief of the area; Sibitiela.

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When the ‘Blind Tiger’, as Kekana was popularly known in the music cycles for his musical prowess despite his disability, climbed the stage to partake in the duet with greats such as Sipho ‘Hotstix’ Mabuse, Blondie Makhene (born in Soweto as Keoagile Gerald Makhene), and Joe Nina in honour of another great Alexandra jazz musician Zacks Nkosi, he received a standing ovation from the audience.

Dr Kekana, who was an advocate by profession and lectured at the University of South Africa in Pretoria, which also honoured him with a doctorate for his contribution to the music industry, attended both celebrations of Zacks Nkosi in Alexandra at Sankopano on May 29 and in Soweto at the Afri-Café at the Maponya Mall on June 20.

It was at these performances that the audience remembered the music guru that Kekana was with his trademark of a highly pitched soprano voice that few if any could match, which quickly comes to mind in Hotsix’s Burnout song where Kekana was featured and the song was also performed as a fine rendition that swept the audience off their seats.

Alex arts creative Refilwe Pieterse, the woman and Alex resident who is the brains behind The Rise of Zacks Nkosi – Veteran’s Voice, which is a celebration of the legend aimed at raising consciousness around his immense contribution to the music industry, vividly remembers the euphoric atmosphere that engulfed the two venues and Alex and Soweto when Kekana took to the stage.

“The euphoria aroused around Ntate Kekana as he stepped up to take the stage around the other music greats will forever be engraved in my mind. I may not be a generation of those years, but I got to understand how much he was loved and appreciated for his music and distinctive voice in particular, especially when he performed Burnout with Ntate Hotstix,” Pieterse said.

Describing his last performance at the Afri-Cafe as ‘unforgettable’, Pieterse said it was a true goodbye. “Though it was unplanned and we couldn’t have asked for any better, Ntate Kekana literally came there to bid us his entire farewell.

“We had a blast of an evening with him. His rendition of Let it be and Take your love back girl and keep it left the audience in tears, including Nkosi’s children. We were all so moved and emotional. May his soul rest in eternal peace.”

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