By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
The funeral service of 68-year-old legendary South African playwright and musician Dr Mbongeni Ngema will be held on Friday 5 January 2024.
This was announced by his family on Saturday.
Ngema passed away in a head-on collision in Lusikisiki, Eastern Cape, on Wednesday evening. A passenger in the vehicle, Ngema, was returning from a funeral.
The car he was travelling in collided head-on with a truck and he succumbed to his injuries at the Adelaide and OR Tambo Memorial Hospital in Mbizana.
Family spokesperson, Nhlanhla Ngema, said the family, together with Dr Ngema’s company Committed Artists, confirmed that a memorial service for the legendary playwright will be held on Wednesday 3 January 2024 at the Playhouse in Durban.
“Details about the funeral venue in KZN will be shared in due course. So, too, will details about time for the memorial service.”
“The Ngema family and Committed Artists would like to thank the public and media for the outpouring of grief and continuous coverage since the sudden passing of Dr Ngema. The family recognises that Dr Ngema was not exclusively theirs, for he belonged to the entire people of South Africa, and indeed the international community,” Nhlanhla Ngema said.
Earlier, the Eastern Cape’s Department of Forensic Pathology Services concluded an autopsy on Ngema.
Eastern Cape Health Department spokesperson Sizwe Kupelo said the Ngema family identified his body at the hospital on Thursday.
“The department immediately conducted the autopsy and released his body to the family.”
Meanwhile, a case of culpable homicide has been opened after the car crash that killed Ngema.
Minister of Sports and Culture Zizi Kodwa visited Ngema’s family at his home in Durban yesterday. Kodwa said that Ngema deserves a befitting funeral.
“Today I spent time with the family of the late Dr Mbongeni Ngema. His passing is a significant loss to South African arts. Ngema is a global icon who used theatre to dismantle apartheid,” Kodwa said.