Mbongeni Ngema – Biography, Age, Career and Death

Mbongeni Ngema (10 May 1955 – 27 December 2023) was a South African playwright, lyricist, composer, director, choreographer, and theatre producer. He co-wrote the 1981 play Woza Albert! and collaborated with Hugh Masekela on the 1988 musical Sarafina!. Renowned for works that captured the resilience and struggles of black South Africans during apartheid, Ngema received critical acclaim throughout his career, though he also faced several controversies. He died in a car accident on 27 December 2023.

Early Life 

Mbongeni Ngema was born on 10 May 1955 in Verulam, Natal (near Durban), as the third of seven children to Gladys Hadebe and Zwelikhethabantu Ngema. His father, a policeman originally from the village of eNhlwathi in kwaHlabisa, was stationed in Verulam, a predominantly Indian area with a significant Black population. Following the 1950 Group Areas Act, Verulam was designated for Indian residents only, prompting the relocation of Black families, including Ngema’s, to kwaHlabisa. There, he and his siblings were raised by their grandfather and lived a rural lifestyle, waking early to care for livestock before heading to school, which he attended up to Standard Six.

He later returned to Verulam and then Durban to pursue high school education at various institutions. While attending Vukuzakhe High School in Umlazi, he dropped out during his final year and began performing in local music bands. Inspired by his father, Ngema taught himself how to play the guitar.

Career

Ngema relocated to Johannesburg, where he initially worked in a fertilizer factory. While there, he played guitar in a workers’ theatre production and was later invited to step in as an actor when a cast member became ill. This opportunity led him to join Gibson Kente’s theatre company as a singer and trainee actor, exposing him to influential theatrical methods by Stanislavski, Peter Brook, and Jerzy Grotowski. During the 1970s, he acted in several local stage productions before transitioning into a career as a playwright, screenwriter, and librettist.

He rose to prominence in the 1980s after co-writing the play Woza Albert! with Percy Mtwa in 1981, which later toured the United States in 1984, and the acclaimed musical Sarafina!, which premiered in 1988. Much of Ngema’s work reflected the lived experiences and spirit of Black South Africans under apartheid.

Founding his own theatre company, Committed Artists, Ngema began training young men with no formal acting experience. In 1983, he wrote and directed Asinamali, a prison musical based on a notable rent strike in a Durban township. The production was raided by police after its debut, and the cast members were arrested. Asinamali later toured internationally, including a performance at New York City’s Roger Furman Theatre, where it received a Tony Award nomination. The show has since been staged worldwide, including in Australia and a 2024 production at South Africa’s National Arts Festival. In 2017, Ngema co-wrote, directed, and starred in a film adaptation of Asinamali, portraying the character Comrade Washington.

Sarafina! (1988), set during the Soweto uprising of 1976, earned five Tony Award nominations and was later nominated for Grammy Awards as well. The musical won 11 NAACP Image Awards, ran for two years on Broadway, and toured extensively across the United States, Europe, Australia, and Japan. It was later adapted into a feature film starring Whoopi Goldberg, Leleti Khumalo, and Miriam Makeba.

Ngema’s 1990 musical Township Fever, centered on a major workers’ strike, was highly successful and was later staged in the U.S. following a production at the Market Theatre. That same year, he co-wrote and directed Sheila’s Day with Duma ka Ndlovu, marking his first American theatre work, which was staged by the African American company Crossroads Theatre.

In 1994, Ngema contributed as a vocal arranger for the Disney animated film The Lion King, earning a multi-platinum award for its soundtrack, which sold over six million copies. That same year, he co-wrote the song “African Solution” with Mfiliseni Magubane for the National Peace Committee, with proceeds dedicated to supporting families impacted by violence. The song received both gold and platinum certifications.

In 1995, Mbongeni Ngema premiered Mama, a musical about gang life in Soweto. Produced by The Playhouse Company, the show toured across Europe, Australia, and New Zealand. That same year, he staged The Best of Mbongeni Ngema at The Playhouse, with a CD and video recording of the performance later released. He also created Sarafina II, a follow-up to his earlier work, this time addressing the AIDS crisis in South Africa. The musical debuted in early 1996.

In 1997, Ngema composed and produced his solo album Woza My Fohloza, which he toured across South Africa. That year, he also wrote and composed Maria–Maria, a musical that he choreographed and directed. The production premiered in Wiesbaden, Germany, and later toured Austria before opening at The Playhouse in South Africa. Around the same time, Ngema was appointed a visiting lecturer at the University of Zululand, where he introduced students to his distinctive theatrical technique. He also produced the university music department’s first CD release.

In recognition of his contributions to theatre, Ngema was inducted into the New York “Walk of Fame” in 1998, with his name added outside the Lucille Lortel Theatre in Manhattan. In 2001, during the African Renaissance festival, his name was engraved at the entrance of Durban City Hall alongside those of key anti-apartheid icons like Nelson Mandela and Miriam Makeba. The City of Durban had previously commissioned him to write a celebratory song for the new millennium in 2000. In 2003, he was appointed artistic director for the Cricket World Cup.

In 2005, Ngema wrote and directed The House of Shaka, a stage production inspired by the life of Zulu King Goodwill Zwelithini. The play received a warm reception from audiences in both Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.

In 2004, a revival of Sarafina! was staged as part of South Africa’s “10 Years of Democracy” celebrations. The following year, after a Nigerian production company saw The House of Shaka, Ngema took Sarafina! on its first tour of the African continent, with performances in Lagos and Abuja in December 2005. The production later toured to London and opened at Emperors Palace in Johannesburg on 1 June 2006.

Back in 1985, Ngema released the album S’timela Sase Zola, featuring the hit title track that became one of his most popular songs in South Africa. The song was re-released in 2002 on the album Jive Madlokovu!!!, accompanied by a music video showcasing traditional Zulu dancers.

To mark a decade of post-apartheid democracy in 2004, Ngema released Libuyile (Songs of Freedom). His discography also includes Township Fever (1991), Magic at 4am (1993), The Best of Mbongeni Ngema (1995), Woza My-Fohloza (1997), and a new edition of Sarafina! in 2004.

In 2005, Ngema launched Committed Artists as a record label. Its first two releases were his single My Baby and Nikeziwe, the debut album of 23-year-old Jumaima Julius. Ngema discovered Julius while she was involved in a production at the South African State Theatre and decided to mentor her.

In 2006, the South African government commissioned Mbongeni Ngema to write 1906 Bhambada: The Freedom Fighter in honor of the centenary of the Zulu Rebellion, led by Bhambatha against the colonial authorities in Natal. The production ran for two weeks in Pietermaritzburg.

In 2009, he was again commissioned—this time by Mpumalanga Province—to create Lion of the East, a stage production commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Potato Strike in Bethal, led by activist Gert Sibande.

Ngema’s 2013 stage production The Zulu earned standing ovations at the National Arts Festival in Grahamstown (now Makhanda). It later played to critical acclaim in Wiesbaden, Germany, followed by a successful European tour. The play returned to South Africa in 2020, with performances at Johannesburg’s Market Theatre and Durban’s Playhouse Theatre.

As a librettist and composer, Ngema wrote the soundtrack for the film Sarafina! (1992) and released numerous music projects over his career. One of his most notable albums was Stimela SaseZola, which became a major hit in South Africa. He also contributed music to international projects, including vocal arrangements for Michael Bolton on the 1989 film Sing, and co-writing backing vocals on Take This Song with reggae band Third World.

In 2020, he collaborated with Emtee, Saudi, Gigi Lamayne, Tamarsha, Reason, Blaklez, DJ Machaba, and Third World on the album Freedom Is Coming Tomorrow (Remix). That same year, he released the single Sophia.

Awards Received

• 1987: Tony Award – Asinamali! nominated for Best Direction of a Play
• 1988: Tony Award – Sarafina! received five nominations: Best Choreography, Best Direction of a Musical, Best Original Score, Best Actress in a Musical 
• 1988: Grammy Award – Sarafina! nominated for a Grammy Award at 32nd Annual Grammy Awards
• 1987/8: NAACP Image Award, Best Stage Actress, for Khumalo in Sarafina!, and 10 other NAACP Awards
• 1994/5: Grammy Award – The Lion King, for vocal arrangements
• 1996: FNB-Vita Award for Best Supporting Actor, in a production of Asinamali at The Playhouse, Durban
• 1998: Inducted in the New York “Walk of Fame” in front of the Lucille Lortel Theatre in Manhattan, New York City
• 2001: Name engraved on Durban City Hall entrance, alongside those of Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo, Miriam Makeba, and other heroes of the liberation struggle
• 2004: Voted 92nd in the Top 100 Great South Africans
• 2008: Living Legend Award from the EThekwini Metropolitan Municipality, Durban
• 2013: Inaugural Recognition Award at SAMRO’s Wawela Awards
• 2013: Lifetime Achievement Award at the inaugural Simon Mabhunu Sabela Film and Television Awards
• 2013: Awarded honorary doctorate by the University of Zululand
• 2014: Awarded Lifetime Achievement Award at the Naledi Theatre Awards ceremony.
• 2016: 9 May declared as “Duma Ndlovu and Mbongeni Ngema Day” in Harlem, New York.
• 2018: SAMA Lifetime Achievement Award
• 2020: honorary doctorate, Good Shepherd College of Religion, Culture, and Skills Training
• 2023: 365 Men’s Award, posthumously awarded by Gauteng Social Development Department, to acknowledge his “transformation from an abuser of women to speaking out against gender-based violence”

Personal Life

Mbongeni Ngema married Xoliswa Nduneni-Ngema in February 1982. Their marriage ended in divorce, and years later, Nduneni-Ngema released a memoir in which she accused him of abuse, including allegations of rape.

During his marriage to Xoliswa, Ngema began a long-term affair with actress Leleti Khumalo, which started while she was still a teenager. Despite the affair, Xoliswa remained both his wife and business partner throughout the production of the Sarafina! film, which starred Khumalo. Shortly after the film’s release in October 1992, Ngema and Xoliswa divorced, and he went on to marry Khumalo.

Ngema was 15 years older than Leleti Khumalo. Their marriage ended in 2005 after she left him. In later interviews, Khumalo described the relationship as “disgusting,” citing a lack of freedom and calling the 14 years they spent together “fourteen years of misery.”

Controversies

In 1996, the planned year-long run of Sarafina II was cancelled after corruption allegations surfaced, implicating Mbongeni Ngema and then Minister of Health, Nkosazana Dlamini-Zuma. The production had been commissioned by the new government for R14 million (around US$750,000), but a Public Protector investigation later declared the spending to be “unauthorised expenditure,” and criticized the play’s messaging around HIV/AIDS as inadequate. By 1997, Ngema was under investigation for alleged fraud related to R3 million of the funds paid to him.

In 2002, Ngema released a controversial song titled “AmaNdiya”, which criticized the treatment of workers by Indian business owners in KwaZulu-Natal. The song was banned from public broadcast by the Broadcasting Complaints Commission of South Africa after a complaint by the South African Human Rights Commission. The ruling stated that the song promoted racial hate and incited fear among the Indian community. The backlash was widespread, with criticism from the public, a formal motion in parliament led by ANC MP Alfred Maphalala, and a public call from Nelson Mandela urging Ngema to apologise.

In July 2019, Ngema was removed as co-director of a Sarafina production following accusations of sexual harassment and intimidation by a cast member.

Death

Mbongeni Ngema died on 27 December 2023 in a head-on car collision while returning from a funeral in Lusikisiki, Eastern Cape. He was a passenger in the vehicle and was 68 years old at the time of his death.

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa paid tribute to Ngema, praising his artistic contributions: “His masterfully creative narration of our liberation struggle honoured the humanity of oppressed South Africans” and “exposed the inhumanity” of apartheid. The Economic Freedom Fighters described him as “more than just an artist; he was a cultural icon, and a beacon of hope during some of our darkest times.” Actress Sophie Ndaba also shared a tribute to him on Instagram.

Ngema’s life and work have been explored in writings such as Nothing Except Ourselves by Laura Jones (1994). He was laid to rest on 5 January 2024.

Selected Discography

1986 – Forever My Music

1987 – Mbongeni Ngema’s Sarafina!

1988 – Time to Unite

1989 – Sarafina!

1991 – Township Fever

1993 – Magic at 4 A.M

1994 – Laduma

1997 – Woza My-Fohloza

2001 – Simuka Na Ndwendwe

2002 – Jive Madlokovu!!!

2010 – Lion of the East

2015 – Mbongeni Ngema and the Baobab Sisters

2020 – Vintage

2023 – Thina Bant’a Bamnyama (EP)