Musa Manzini laid to rest despite court order to stop funeral

While the memorial service of bassist Musa Manzini took place on Friday in Durban, a decision of where he should be laid to rest was being deliberated in a Pietermaritzburg court.

Following his passing last week at Helen Joseph Hospital, a battle between Manzini’s family and his ex-wife and eldest son ensued. His ex-wife Shahida and eldest son Yusuf wanted the jazz musician to be buried in Cape Town according to his Muslim rites.

The Manzini family – the muso’s sister Thembi Manzini and his partner Palesa Mazamisa – wanted to honour the jazz musician’s wishes to be buried in KZN with his mother. “It was a nightmare,” Mark Roth, Manzini’s manager tells The Citizen. “His family had to leave the memorial service to go and attend court.”

ALSO SEE: ‘We want to bury my brother in peace’: Musa Manzini’s family fight over his burial

Application dismissed

The application by the eldest son was dismissed with costs.

Manzini was laid to rest in Richards Bay and according to Roth; his ex-wife and eldest son didn’t attend the funeral. “They didn’t even come to the funeral. The boy was used by his mother.”

Manzini divorced Shahida 22 years ago, remarried and divorced again. At the time of his death, he was in a relationship with Mazamisa.

Manzini was first hospitalised with a malignant brain tumour in 2006. Subsequent to the surgery, he had six more craniotomies – three to remove the tumour and three to deal with the hydrocephalus, an accumulation of fluid on the brain.

Epilepsy and seizures are common complications of craniotomies. In 2018 Manzini made headlines when he remained wide awake playing his guitar while undergoing a craniotomy operation.

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Government pitching-in

Last week the family announced a fundraiser for the late musician to help with funeral arrangements. There were mounting calls on social media for the Sport, Arts and Culture ministry to assist and Roth confirmed the government played a hand in the burial.

“They did help us. They contributed towards the arrangements,” says Roth, without confirming how much the government contributed.

With the funeral and memorial having taken place in KZN, Manzini’s fans in Gauteng will have an opportunity to bid him farewell at the end of the month at a tribute concert on what would’ve been his birthday at the Joburg Theatre.

“We’re not calling it a memorial, it’s a tribute. Musa wants to see us dance, we’re going to dance for him,” says Roth.

“We’re not going to have a formal programme, we’ll invite musicians to come with their instruments and just have a jam.”

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