Many were still in disbelief as they filled up the Convention Center in East London for the funeral of singer and songwriter Zahara, real name Bulelwa Mkutukana earlier today. The Loliwe singer died last week Monday after being hospitalized for a month due to liver complications. Zahara was just months away from releasing a project that she had tirelessly worked on for years with long-term producer and friend Mojalefa "Mjakes" Thebe.

VUSI'S GOOD

 Her gold coffin took centre stage at the East London Convention Centre. Devastated by his best friend's passing, Vusi Nova stared at her casket covered in flowers. He was praying for weeks that Zahara would recover. "Bulelwa took all my secrets to the grave and today I promise to take her secrets to the grave." Vusi said. The Thursday before her passing, Vusi said he saw her sitting up and smiling. "She was in a private, room sitting without all those pipes. She had removed them and was smiling. I walked in there as usual," he said at the funeral. "I said to her, don't ever do that again, don't ever scare us like that ever again." We sat there and we spoke as normal. I said, "Bulelwa, from now on, I am going to guard you and make sure you eat well." When I left that day I kissed her on the forehead and I said ?I love you' and she said ?I love you'. I left that hospital believing that when I arrived the next day they would be telling us to pack her clothes and discharge her. The very same night I found out she got worse and that was so devastating." Vusi said. But alas, weeks later after having visited her every day, she passed. 

HER SISTER TRIBUTE

Her sisters Lumka and Bandezwa say the family is deeply hurt. "It's hard to talk about Bulelwa because we did not expect this. Bulelwa was solving and caring. She phoned us every day. She would travel abroad but we never felt the gap because she would call every day," Bandezwa said. "What hurts is that we will never be able to see or speak to her again," Lumka said she was privileged to teach her sister even music. "I was in the youth group and they were in Sunday school and I would teach them. She was small, but she had a deep voice," Lumka says.

TK'S LAST WORDS

TK Nciza who discovered Zahara says it took him 30 seconds to see Zahara's talent. "I saw something special in her, performing on big stages. I called my ex-wife and I told her that I found a girl in Phumlani." His ex-wife Nhlanhla Mafu saw the same thing. They took her in and she lived with them for two years. "We needed to make her strong. We stayed with her in 2010 and in 2011 we started to record." He met up with her family and they gave him their blessings. TK says Zahar was a special singer, a healer. 

NOT MARRIED

Days before the funeral, Zahara sisters Lumka and Bandezwa expressed their disappointment as her fianc? Mpho Xaba was given the title of ?husband' at her memorial service after not having completed his lobola negotiations. ?Bulelwa was not married," Lumka said. "She also did not have children, we heard that Mpho went around saying Zahara had two kids and that is not true. They are not married and we did not acknowledge him as a husband."

HER PARENTS

Zahara's dad whose health has been frail did not attend the memorial service and had been in disbelief about his precious daughter's passing. Zahara's sister Lumka says, "Use khulile and we don't want to burden him with trauma and stress," she said. "Bulelwa is gone, and we cannot bring her back."