It has been 11 months since singer and songwriter Bulelwa "Zahara' Mkutukana passed away after spending weeks in the hospital suffering from liver complications. To honour her life and legacy, close friends celebrated her birthday on Saturday 9 November. But what was meant to be a classy and elegant celebration turned into a drunken gathering at a pub the late singer frequented in Roodepoort, Johannesburg.

A FLOP 

Zahara's family also hosted what would have been her 37th birthday celebration on Saturday in East London. The Johannesburg celebrations were hosted by the 'Zahara Army', a group of young people who were part of her team from across the country, as well as the late singer's personal assistant Lisa Gwengxeka. The event was attended by friends, including Letoya Makhene. As planned by the organisers, the artists were billed to sing at did not perform," said a source who attended the party.

SERVES THEM RIGHT 

Zahara's mom, Xoliswa Mkutukana, who was against the birthday celebration in Johannesburg, told ZiMoja that it served them right that the party flopped. "We told them to come to East London and not host anything in Joburg. What nonsense was that? It serves them right,' she said. "We were just celebrating her life and did not plan to make a big deal out of it; we were not making any money, but we wanted to gather in her name and celebrate our friend's life," Mkutukana said. When asked if the event was a flop, Gwengxeka said: "It wasn't supposed to be a big thing anyway. It worked out fine. We celebrated her."