Mbongeni Ngema

Mbongeni Ngema was one of South Africa's most influential playwrights, composers, lyricists and theatre producers. Born in KwaZulu-Natal, Ngema began his career as a self-taught guitarist before joining the theatre company of the legendary Gibson Kente. From these early beginnings, he developed into one of the country's most celebrated creative figures, using music and theatre to tell powerful stories about apartheid, freedom and the resilience of ordinary South Africans. His international breakthrough came in 1981 when he co-wrote Woza Albert! with Percy Mtwa. The political satire became one of South Africa's most acclaimed stage productions, winning more than 20 international awards and touring extensively across Europe, the United States and Australia. He cemented his global reputation with Sarafina! in 1988, a musical inspired by the 1976 Soweto Uprising. The production enjoyed a two year Broadway run, received five Tony Award nominations, earned a Grammy Award nomination for its soundtrack, won 11 NAACP Image Awards and was later adapted into the acclaimed feature film starring Whoopi Goldberg, Leleti Khumalo and Miriam Makeba. Ngema continued to produce landmark works including Asinamali, Township Fever, Mama, Sarafina II, The House of Shaka, 1906 Bhambada: The Freedom Fighter, The Lion of the East and The Zulu. Beyond the stage, he contributed vocal arrangements to Disney's The Lion King, earning multi-platinum recognition, while his recordings, particularly Stimela SaseZola, Woza My Fohloza, Bring Back Nelson Mandela, Safa Saphela Isizwe and The Lord's Prayer, became lasting favourites. Throughout his career, Ngema received numerous honours, including the Standard Bank Young Artist Award for Drama, induction onto the Playwrights' Walk of Fame in New York in 1998, and the Naledi Theatre Awards Lifetime Achievement Award in 2014. Widely regarded as one of the architects of modern South African musical theatre, his work continues to influence performers and audiences around the world. He sadly passed away in November 2023, aged 68, after a motor accident took his life