'We wish he was here': Mandoza's wife Mpho Tshabalala on honouring the kwaito's star legacy

21 November 2023 - 07:20
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Mandoza's wife Mpho Tshabalala speaks on life after the death of her partner.
Mandoza's wife Mpho Tshabalala speaks on life after the death of her partner.
Image: Supplied

On Sunday close friends and family of the late kwaito star Mandoza visited his grave and later gathered for an intimate lunch to celebrate his SAMA29 lifetime achievement award. 

The award was presented posthumously to Mduduzi “Mandoza” Tshabalala, who died in 2015. 

His wife, Mpho who accepted the award on his behalf, spoke to TshisaLIVE about life without her partner. 

“I have mixed emotions. We are definitely happy about the award and wish he was here to receive it and feel it, but God's plans were different,” she said.

She has been preserving Mandoza's legacy — from being hands-on with the filming of his biopic Nkalakatha: The Life of Mandoza, which aired on BET, to the work done through the Mandoza Foundation. 

“It's been a rollercoaster. This was a husband and father who had been there from day one. He's been there supporting the kids and I, so it's been heavy emotionally and financially because most of the income was from him,

“Bills don't stop when you grieve, the kids need to go to high school, university and all that, but with a good support system, I managed. My friends, and both sides of the family, as well as his friends. It has helped me, but there is still that thing when I wish he was here, especially for the children's milestones, the boys finishing matric, children's first day at school.”

Mpho says she has collaborated with Mr Price to launch unisex merchandise on December 1 to honour Mandoza and the accomplishments they've had this year. 

“This December while people have planned to go shopping, let's bring back the old days of Christmas clothes and have people proudly wearing Nkalakatha.”



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