A tribute to Sfiso Ncwane
He will be laid to rest on Saturday‚ 10 December at Heroes Acre in Chesterville after a funeral service at Moses Mabhida Stadium.
MBOMBELA – MEC for culture, sport and recreation, Ms Norah Mahlangu, has joined the rest of South Africa in mourning the death of Sfiso Ncwane.
“The passing of Ncwane is a tragic loss for the gospel fraternity and the country as a whole. On behalf of the department, I would like to express my heartfelt condolences to his family. During this difficult time, we should find solace in the music he produced over the years,” said Mahlangu.
Read: Breaking News – Sfiso Ncwane is no more
“Kulungile Baba” is a song he composed to help his listeners cope when faced with difficulty times. Little did he know that one day his fans would turn to it to help them cope with his death.
“Ncwane contributed to the music industry immensely and we have indeed lost one of the best musicians. As we mourn his death, we should find comfort in the fact that Ncwane will forever live with us through his music,” said Mahlangu.
• Update: Sfiso Ncwane nearly died on stage Saturday
Ncwane performed at the Praise & Worship Festival at Laerskool Burgersfort Stadium on Saturday. He died from kidney failure on Monday morning.
“Oh my God, this can’t be true. I know he was not well, but I didn’t think it was that serious. It is sad to lose such a talented young artist like him,” said Maria Selala.
Some said they did not expect the news of Sfiso’s death just three days after his performance. “People were talking about Lundi Tyamara being in a worse condition. Sfiso looked healthier than him,” added Selala.
Bruce Kgapane, CEO of Ziyaphenduka Marketing and Events Logistics, revealed that Ncwane arrived five hours late for his show.
“His performance was good although we had to cut him short because he was late,” Kgapane said.
He mentioned that Ncwane nearly collapsed, but EMS personnel attended to him. His blood pressure and body temperature were said to be very high.
“He was supposed to be admitted, but he said he preferred to be admitted in Middelburg or Johannesburg. That was the last time I heard of him until now,” added Kgapane.
“If we had given him more songs to perform, I’m afraid something bad would have happened to him on stage. It is very sad to lose such a talented young musician. He did mention on stage that he was not feeling well, but pushed himself out of respect for me as an organiser and his audience,” he said.
• Recording industry mourns Sfiso Ncwane
• The provincial chairperson of the South African Council of Churches, Rev Gordon Mthembu, said, “As a council, we were very shocked to hear that Sfiso is no more. We believe that it was the will of God because we are all visitors on this earth. May his soul rest in peace.”
• Sifiso Shongwe, a well-known gospel artist from Mbombela, known for his track, “By Fire By Force” said he was looking forward to working with Ncwane. “I’m deeply hurt by the news, he was my brother in Christ and he inspired me a lot. Oh how I’m going to miss his golden voice. Next year I was going to work with him to release my album, Sifiso and Sfiso, but now I realise that that dream has gone down the drain.”
• RiSA pays tribute to Mandoza
Pastor Sipho Langa, a local gospel artist said, “He has fought and good fight, he finished his race and now he is in heaven. I still can’t believe he is gone. As gospel artists, we are going to miss him big time.
His powerful message through his music uplifted us spiritually. He was not just entertaining people, but fulfilling God’s purpose of preaching the Word. One of his songs that touched me was ‘Kulungile Baba’. Even now it keeps me going when I am going through difficult times in life.”
Sfiso Ncwane leaves behind his wife Ayanda Ncwane‚ who was with him during his final moments and five children.
