Entertainment / Local
'Meet me in Zimbabwe' composer dies of kidney failure
14 Oct 2013 at 09:19hrs | Views
Themba Ndlovu with his late wife Bajabulie in hospital ©ZimDiaspora
ONE of the most accomplished musicians and wife to Themba Ndlovu, Bajabulile has died in South Africa.
Sources close to Ndlovu said Bajabulile died of kidney failure on Saturday afternoon at a South African hospital.
As soon as the news of the death of his longtime wife and sweetheart, Ndlovu left a message on his Facebook page: I will forever cherish our life together. Thank you Lord for giving me the mother of my children".
A South African national, Bajabulile married Ndlovu a prominent Zimbabwean musician of Meet me in Zimbabwe fame, a song that hit headlines in Zimbabwe and beyond.The song was composed by Bajabulile herself while her husband, Themba who was part of Children of Nandi Group sang it.
The song was a massive hit in Zimbabwe in 1986 and stayed in the charts for months. It's now a classic which made every Zimbabwean, of whatever colour or creed proud. It is a song of hope, but sadly Bajabulile's hope for life slipped away last Saturday as she breathed for the last time.
When Zimbabwe attained independence in 1980, the couple had been exiled in Germany. They then packed their bags and headed for Zimbabwe upon producing the song Meet me in Zimbabwe.
However, in the 1990s, the couple emmigrated to Switzerland only to retire back to South Africa in the last three years.
As the news of Bajabulile's passing on spread like veld fire - from Saturday, the social networking site, Facebook was buzzing with condolence messages from Switzerland, Germany, Africa and all over the globe.
One condolence message left on Themba Ndlovu's Facebook page by former ZBC radio presenter Ezra Tshisa Sibanda read: "I'm devastated by the terrible news of my Sister Jabu's death. I don't know what happened and l'm still in shock. Please take comfort in that she once lived in this planet, you have children together and she loved you all. She was an adorable gentle giant of a woman, she will be sadly missed and thanks for the good memories she is leaving behind. May her beloved soul RIP".
In another message meant to comfort Themba, a close family relative Pamela Ndlovu said: "Words seem inadequate to express the sadness we feel about gogo's death. We are here to support you in your grieving process. We send thoughts of sympathy and support as you embark on this new journey without her. She'll always be in our thoughts and minds. May you be strong for the girls and may the Lord give us all the love and strength to support you always".
Representative of UK-based Zimbabwe International Performance Alliance (ZIPA), Dumisani Gumpo said Africa has lost a musician of unusual merit.
"The passing on of Bajabulile is a sad loss to the African music industry. The music industry is poorer without Bajabulile," said Gumpo.
Sources close to Ndlovu said Bajabulile died of kidney failure on Saturday afternoon at a South African hospital.
As soon as the news of the death of his longtime wife and sweetheart, Ndlovu left a message on his Facebook page: I will forever cherish our life together. Thank you Lord for giving me the mother of my children".
A South African national, Bajabulile married Ndlovu a prominent Zimbabwean musician of Meet me in Zimbabwe fame, a song that hit headlines in Zimbabwe and beyond.The song was composed by Bajabulile herself while her husband, Themba who was part of Children of Nandi Group sang it.
The song was a massive hit in Zimbabwe in 1986 and stayed in the charts for months. It's now a classic which made every Zimbabwean, of whatever colour or creed proud. It is a song of hope, but sadly Bajabulile's hope for life slipped away last Saturday as she breathed for the last time.
However, in the 1990s, the couple emmigrated to Switzerland only to retire back to South Africa in the last three years.
As the news of Bajabulile's passing on spread like veld fire - from Saturday, the social networking site, Facebook was buzzing with condolence messages from Switzerland, Germany, Africa and all over the globe.
One condolence message left on Themba Ndlovu's Facebook page by former ZBC radio presenter Ezra Tshisa Sibanda read: "I'm devastated by the terrible news of my Sister Jabu's death. I don't know what happened and l'm still in shock. Please take comfort in that she once lived in this planet, you have children together and she loved you all. She was an adorable gentle giant of a woman, she will be sadly missed and thanks for the good memories she is leaving behind. May her beloved soul RIP".
In another message meant to comfort Themba, a close family relative Pamela Ndlovu said: "Words seem inadequate to express the sadness we feel about gogo's death. We are here to support you in your grieving process. We send thoughts of sympathy and support as you embark on this new journey without her. She'll always be in our thoughts and minds. May you be strong for the girls and may the Lord give us all the love and strength to support you always".
Representative of UK-based Zimbabwe International Performance Alliance (ZIPA), Dumisani Gumpo said Africa has lost a musician of unusual merit.
"The passing on of Bajabulile is a sad loss to the African music industry. The music industry is poorer without Bajabulile," said Gumpo.
Source - ZimDiaspora
