Calls to rename Durban Playhouse in Mbongeni Ngema's honour

Calls to rename the Durban Playhouse in honour of Mbongeni Ngema were made during the funeral service of the legendary playwright.

A passionate plea was made by musician and producer Sello “Chicco” Twala while speaking on behalf of the creative industry during Ngema’s special provincial funeral at the Durban ICC on Friday.

Ngema died in hospital after a car crash on the R61 in the Mbizana area in the Eastern Cape on December 27.

Twala said he had worked with Ngema on three projects.

Ngema had insisted on composing and performing struggle songs at a time when it was illegal to do so and “bravely” refused to go to exile, he said.

That had inspired artists like him, Yvonne Chaka Chaka and the late Brenda Fassie to openly sing protest songs.

“All the protest songs that we created were because of his bravery against the Afrikaners, we were scared of them. He is the man who made some of us what we are today,” Twala said.

The proposal received wide support from gathered mourners, dignitaries and other speakers, including ANC KwaZulu-Natal deputy chairperson and health MEC Nomagugu Simelane, premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube and fellow producer Mandla KaNozulu Kheswa.

Sports, arts and culture minister Zizi Kodwa said that was one of the options his department has discussed with the Durban Playhouse as they look at ways to honour Ngema.

“In the days following his passing, we’ve been discussing with Playhouse how best to honour this global icon ... Some of the proposals are to rename Playhouse, to rename the Opera Theatre, where most of his productions were done, and to have a statue of him outside the Playhouse,” he said.

Kodwa added there was a need to establish a system of recognising the contribution of artists who have influenced the creative industry.

However, he also emphasised the need to acknowledge them while they are still alive instead of only posthumously.

“We need to give them flowers while they can still smell them. We must name rivers, we must name streets, we must build academies. We must name oceans, mountains and buildings after them in recognition of their contribution while they can see and walk past those monuments.”

Meanwhile, entrepreneur Sihle Bam revealed Ngema was working on two projects which he planned to be his legacy.

The first was to open the Mbongeni Ngema Academy in Durban.

Bam said Ngema had requested accreditation to open the academy in 2021 which was eventually granted in June 2023.

“That was like a turning point in his quest for his own college, it’s like there was a fire in his bones. He started working tirelessly, we would meet and work until the late evening,” he said.

They had a strategy meeting with the team Ngema had assembled as recently as November 15 and the plan was to officially open the academy in the first week of April in a building they had secured on the corner of Anton Lembede and Samora Machel streets .

“He was very excited about his academy. He had spoken to so many people and experts in the education sector.”

The other project was to open a museum, the Mbongeni Ngema Museum of African Greatness.

“The whole idea behind this museum was to tell the his story as an artist. Those who know him personally understand Madlokovu was a very passionate historian. He knew his history, Zulu history, African history ... and he was extremely passionate about sharing it,” Bam said.

“We worked on the documents and proposals. We wrote letters and met with eThekwini parks and the recreation department. In 2024 we were going to have a six-month exhibition at his museum. He was going to celebrate other artists and creatives who were his contemporaries like Miriam Makeba, Yvonne Chaka Chaka and Brenda Fassie.”

Ngema was laid to rest at the Redhill cemetery in Durban.

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