Skhumba reflects on losing his first born son

Comedian Skhumbuzo "Skhumba" Hlophe has opened up about the pain of losing his first born son at only nine weeks, and how the incident left him terrified of losing his daughter when she was born.

Skhumba' son Samukelo died over 11 years ago shortly after his birth. Speaking to Kaya FM's Bridget Masinga, who herself suffered a miscarriage late last year, Skhumba reflected on the excitement he felt over his son's birth, which later turned to tragedy. 

"I was excited to be a father. I had a son, you know when you have a son you like 'Okay, I have a baby boy! In the nine weeks that my son lived, I saw my son every day, all day until one day he started crying and the crying never stopped," he said

Skhumba said that he was in a state of panic and frantically tried to find out what was happening with his son.  

Eventually around 1am the next morning he got a call from the hospital asking him to come through. 

"You know when you are called to a special, small, room you know that something is wrong here but you not thinking that far. They tell you, 'We tried our best but your son is gone'. I was like 'tjo'. It was bad. In a way that when my daughter was born, when she was nine weeks old, I have never been that scared. I was preparing myself for if it happened again but it never happened," he said.

The comedian, who now has two children, said the experience shaped him and strengthened his love for his children.

Speaking about the experience in an interview with Sunday World last year, Skhumba said that he still visits his son's grave every year. 

"That was the most painful moment of my life, having a supportive family really helped in dealing with the loss, and believing that God cannot give you more than you can bear. I visit his grave on his birthday and burial day every year," he says.