On the day of his death he was blind but wanted to cook for his wife, says Mandoza's uncle

As the nation continues to mourn the loss of kwaito legend Mandoza, his family have reflected on the artist's last days and how they came to terms with his deteriorating health.

The Nkalakatha hitmaker was first diagnosed with cancer in May last year but was given a clean bill of health after undergoing chemotherapy.

Speaking to TMG Entertainment on Monday, Mandoza's uncle Mzwakhe Tshabalala said that the family were saddened by the artist's declining health but wanted him to feel as normal as possible.

• WATCH LIVE: Mandoza memorial serviceFamily, friends and fans pay tribute to Mandoza at a public memorial service at Ellis Park in Johannesburg. 

"We are Christians and we believe that sometimes things happen that we do not understand. We were not shocked. We didn't ask 'why him?' because if not him, then who? We took everything as normal. He could look after himself, even up until the last day," Mzwakhe said.

Mandoza died on Sunday afternoon just days after his family issued a statement confirming that doctors had detected a tumour in his brain. He had gone completely blind in the last few weeks before his death.

"It is amazing. On my way to visit him, I was thinking to myself how his blindness would affect him. But when I got to the house I found that he was just as positive and happy as he was before. He was saying 'Oh, I can't see. No, that is fine'.

Mzwakhe said that Mandoza was "excited" for his wife's birthday on Sunday and had wished her a happy birthday on the morning of his death.

"Everything was normal. He wanted it to be as normal as possible. He was even willing to cook," Mzakhe added.

He said that Mandoza’s sickness and blindness brought the musician and Mpho even closer together.

Mzwakhe also revealed that the family wanted to perform a ceremony for Mandoza's healing but that they ran out of time.

"We are Christians and I believe that through Christianity those things (blindness) must be cast out. Two prayers, it can be cast out. But we didn't see it coming. It all happened before we could even think about it properly or take action. Before we knew it, it was too late," Mzakhe added.