It's been one year since kwaito musician Mduduzi Edmund Tshabalala, popularly known as Mandoza, died after a brief battle with brain cancer and while those close to him are still battling to come to terms with the loss they are determined to make sure his memory lives on.
On September 6 2016 Mandoza's wife, Mpho, released a statement confirming that although they thought his battle with cancer was done the disease had metastasized to his brain and he was "fighting for his life." He died 12 days later.
"It has been the most difficult one year of my life. Mandoza and I were together for 17 years and from the moment we found out I was pregnant with my first born, he was there as a father and husband. I’ve never been a single mom," Mpho Tshabalala told TshisaLIVE
Mpho said it was challenging to juggle raising their children on her own and that she missed Mandoza every day.
“There are so many things I miss about him. But most of all I miss receiving that phone call of him checking up on me to say, ‘I love you.’”
She said she would be visiting his grave today with their children.
“I will let God guide me through the day but the most important thing we will be doing is launching the foundation.”
Mpho also announced that she had established the Mandoza Foundation which she hoped would help educate people about the importance of regular check-ups and early detection.
The initiative is in partnership with the Cancer Association of South Africa (CANSA) and will be launched at the Charlotte Maxeke Hospital in Johannesburg.
"Black people have the mentality that cancer is a white man's disease and I hope to help change that through mobile clinics and teaching them about annual tests. The way you take your car for a service every year is the way we should treat our bodies, " Mpho said.