The life and times of veteran playwright and musician Mbongeni Ngema who died in a tragic car crash two days after Christmas was celebrated today at the Playhouse, Durban. Ngema died shortly after being attended by doctors at Adelaide and OR Tambo Memorial Hospital in Mbizana in the Eastern Cape following a car crash involving a truck on the R61 last Wednesday.

A close associate of Ngema, Themba Ndaba, said they lost out on a lot of projects because they didn't have money to finance them. He said their projects were stolen and it was a known fact, including the famous Shaka Ilembe. "I met 'Madlokovu' in 1991 and we were in an intense struggle for freedom. I met him when he was busy with Sarafina and that's one thing that motivated me to join the industry. We worked together in many productions and he helped me a lot." Ndaba added that the ShakaZulu that we know that was produced by Bomb Pictures was originally produced by him, Mbongeni and their friend in New York in 2015. ?They stole my script and the original name was 'Inkosi Ilembe' because you cannot refer to a king by his name and say 'Shaka Ilembe'," he claimed. He said they were working on a lot including a documentary for Oliver Tambo and another one for Jacob Zuma. ?Mbongeni Ngema was a spirit. He was s gift to many South Africans and the youth of that time." he said

Ngema's friend Vusi Mvelase said Ngema used his art to disguise political agendas. 'Many people do not know Mbongeni as a politician because he is just regarded as an artist but Ngema was working with Mama Winnie Mandela to take young men and women to Lusaka. Many people would come to committed artists to be trained as though they were going to be part of Sarafina and in no time those people would disappear and no one would know their whereabouts but those people would have been assisted by Ngema to cross the border to be trained to be part of the ANC military wing, Umkhonto Wesizwe," he said

Ngema's family expressed gratitude for the support. "The Ngema family and committed artists would like to thank the public and media for the outpouring of grief and continuous coverage since the sudden passing of Ngema. The family recognises that Ngema was not exclusively theirs, for he belonged to the people of South Africa and the international community," the family said. The funeral will be at the same venue on January 5.