Love personified, generous spirit, a loving and kind human being with a larger than life personality and someone who allowed others to take up their space — these are some of the words mourners used to describe Lumko Johnson.
There were no dry eyes as friends, family and industry colleagues gathered at The Market Theatre on Tuesday to remember and bid Lumko Johnson farewell.
Langa Mavuso and Hush SA gave musical tributes at the farewell that encapsulated the life Lumko lived.
Speakers tried to hold back their tears as they remembered the 32-year-old who died on September 14.
Makoto Phumodi shared a memory of the last time they went out together, in May, to go shopping for make-up.
“I wasn't expecting that four months later I would be here under these circumstance. I don't know where to begin. I have so many memories with Lumko. I was looking for words to use on what I can compare Lumko to. Lumko was like a seed and the soil that Lumko fell on came trees that bore beautiful fruit.
“There is no-one in here who can tell me that the seed they took from Lumko's tree didn't do them good. All of you know what the seed you picked from Lumko's tree did for you, even me standing here, I know Lumko's goodness in my life and not only that, but in my career. When Lumko wrote Tequila AF they were with me. Lumko took 30 minutes to write five character bibles and I was like, 'what is this?' They told me they want to work with me in every project of mine; that's why in the show they said they won't go via an agent and just said 'come lets go'.
“All I know is Lumko was love and they always told me they loved me and I believed it because they didn't only tell me but showed me with their actions.”
Rami Chuene said she loved Lumko because they knew their worth.
“My first official meeting of Lumko was on the show on Inkaba. Lumko hated the script so much that he would change the dialogues every time, and when they didn't understand why the story was going that way, Lumko would go to the office and say, 'Why is my character saying this? You know that is out of character. My character wouldn't say this. Can I rephrase, it's going to be good', and it was.
“That's when I knew they can speak English. English is not mother tongue, but for Lumko please ... Lumko was a hit at Inkaba. Lumko was a fighter and I'm speaking this from a creative's point of view. You know how hard it is when you start standing for your rights. Lumko knew their worth and what they brought to the world and they were not going to allow anybody to mess with that no matter what, and that's what I loved about them.”
Actress and TV presenter Thembisa Mdoda-Nxumalo shared the memories they had from their varsity days at Wits.
“Their voice is an important voice in the arts, because it was brave, it was bold, it was honest. As much as we can say they had an opinion on everything, I think in this industry it is very important to have that opinion. They were fearless in their opinion. I think that's a beautiful lesson to learn because that's what the arts are, that's what the art gives us and that's what Lumko gave us.”
Lumko will be laid to rest in a private funeral on Friday.
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'Lumko was love' — Touching moments from Lumko Johnson's memorial
“When I count my blessings, I count Lumko twice”
Image: Instagram / Lumko Johnson via Oupa Bopape
Love personified, generous spirit, a loving and kind human being with a larger than life personality and someone who allowed others to take up their space — these are some of the words mourners used to describe Lumko Johnson.
There were no dry eyes as friends, family and industry colleagues gathered at The Market Theatre on Tuesday to remember and bid Lumko Johnson farewell.
Langa Mavuso and Hush SA gave musical tributes at the farewell that encapsulated the life Lumko lived.
Speakers tried to hold back their tears as they remembered the 32-year-old who died on September 14.
Makoto Phumodi shared a memory of the last time they went out together, in May, to go shopping for make-up.
“I wasn't expecting that four months later I would be here under these circumstance. I don't know where to begin. I have so many memories with Lumko. I was looking for words to use on what I can compare Lumko to. Lumko was like a seed and the soil that Lumko fell on came trees that bore beautiful fruit.
“There is no-one in here who can tell me that the seed they took from Lumko's tree didn't do them good. All of you know what the seed you picked from Lumko's tree did for you, even me standing here, I know Lumko's goodness in my life and not only that, but in my career. When Lumko wrote Tequila AF they were with me. Lumko took 30 minutes to write five character bibles and I was like, 'what is this?' They told me they want to work with me in every project of mine; that's why in the show they said they won't go via an agent and just said 'come lets go'.
“All I know is Lumko was love and they always told me they loved me and I believed it because they didn't only tell me but showed me with their actions.”
Rami Chuene said she loved Lumko because they knew their worth.
“My first official meeting of Lumko was on the show on Inkaba. Lumko hated the script so much that he would change the dialogues every time, and when they didn't understand why the story was going that way, Lumko would go to the office and say, 'Why is my character saying this? You know that is out of character. My character wouldn't say this. Can I rephrase, it's going to be good', and it was.
“That's when I knew they can speak English. English is not mother tongue, but for Lumko please ... Lumko was a hit at Inkaba. Lumko was a fighter and I'm speaking this from a creative's point of view. You know how hard it is when you start standing for your rights. Lumko knew their worth and what they brought to the world and they were not going to allow anybody to mess with that no matter what, and that's what I loved about them.”
Actress and TV presenter Thembisa Mdoda-Nxumalo shared the memories they had from their varsity days at Wits.
“Their voice is an important voice in the arts, because it was brave, it was bold, it was honest. As much as we can say they had an opinion on everything, I think in this industry it is very important to have that opinion. They were fearless in their opinion. I think that's a beautiful lesson to learn because that's what the arts are, that's what the art gives us and that's what Lumko gave us.”
Lumko will be laid to rest in a private funeral on Friday.
Support independent journalism by subscribing to the Sunday Times. Just R20 for the first month.
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Lumko Johnson’s long-time friend Samkelo Ndlovu pens heartbreaking goodbye letter
IN THEIR WORDS | Lumko Johnson documented their journey in heartfelt, in-depth letters
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