South African playwright, producer, and composer Mbongeni Ngema died in a car accident at the age of 68, as confirmed by his family.
Ngema was widely recognized for his creation of the renowned play Sarafina!, which made its debut on Broadway in 1988. This powerful production was later adapted into a musical drama featuring Whoopi Goldberg in 1992, achieving immense international acclaim. Sarafina! received nominations for both the Tony and Grammy Awards.
The play Sarafina! depicted the inspiring story of a young student who rallied her peers to combat racial segregation during the apartheid era in South Africa, following her teacher’s imprisonment.
Apartheid was a deeply entrenched system of institutionalized discrimination against non-white individuals, which allowed the minority white population to govern South Africa from 1948 until the early 1990s.
Ngema’s remarkable body of work also included the highly acclaimed theater production Woza Albert, which premiered in 1981 and garnered over 20 prestigious awards worldwide. This political satire delved into the concept of the second coming of Jesus Christ as a black man, returning to South Africa in the same form.
“Ngema was killed in a head-on car accident while returning from a funeral he was attending in Lusikisiki in the Eastern Cape this evening,” his family said in a statement Wednesday. The celebrated playwright was a passenger in the vehicle involved in the crash.
See below for tributes shared so far the late Mbongeni Ngema:
“We have lost a trailblazing creative talent who fearlessly brought awareness of South Africa under apartheid to a global audience using the theatre as a platform,” well-known South African producer Anant Singh said in a statement. “Mbongeni was one of South Africa’s finest multi-talented creatives – a writer, lyricist, composer, director, choreographer and theater producer. He has left an indelible mark on South African theatre and the creative industries as a whole.”
Added Singh: “This is clearly demonstrated by the timelessness of Sarafina! the film, which is as relevant today as it was when it was first released, and it holds the distinction of being invited twice by the Cannes Film Festival to screen in its Official Selection – first in 1992 and then in May this year in the Cannes Classics section.”
Concluded the producer: “Mbongeni was an inspiration and mentored many young artists who are now household names. His passing leaves a deep void but he leaves a rich legacy that will endure for posterity.”
South African President Cyril Ramaphosa also praised the late Ngema in a statement. “The many productions he created or to which he contributed inspired resilience and pride among us as fellow South Africans and took South Africa and our continent into the theatres, homes and consciousness of millions of people around the world,” Ramaphosa said Thursday.
South Africa’s ruling African National Congress party and one of its biggest rivals, the leftist Economic Freedom Fighters both conveyed their condolences.
The ANC said in a statement: “He was a globally acclaimed playwright, composer and producer. We have lost a true legend, a doyen, and a genuine ambassador of theatre.”
