Mpho’s bitter-sweet birthday celebration without her husband – Mandoza

His family and friends recently honoured him by erecting a statue of the kwaito star at The Sowet Theatre to commemorate his legacy.

Before Mandoza’s death, his family had requested for the nation to keep the kwaito star in their prayers as he was gravely ill with cancer.

Although the country obliged to the request, Mandoza eventually succumbed to his illness on the 18th of September 2016.

His wife, Mpho Tshabalala recently revealed to Tshisa Live the emotional rollercoaster the family has been through since his passing and how the erecting of the statue was a bittersweet experience for her as Mandoza’s death occurred on the same day as her birthday.

“It was a bit emotional… it is always a bittersweet moment for me but we were also celebrating him and celebrating my birthday. Remember he passed away on my birthday. But I always say, the kids’ mood on this day and many other days mostly depend on the kind of energy I give, she said.

At Mandoza’s funeral, Mpho shared the news about the last Saturday she spent with her husband. “He could not eat the whole day. People from different churches would come from all over and we prayed and prayed. He didn’t eat the whole day. On Saturday night we didn’t sleep because his soul was still with us, the only thing that was gone was his body, of which God borrowed us.

 You could see his fighting; he didn’t sleep all night, until the early hours of the morning when we finally slept, he woke up and asked me for the time. I told him its quarter past five and he said “Happy Birthday”.

Mpho also shared that on his deathbed, Mandoza said that he was going to give her a gift that money couldn’t buy, and that gift to her was for him to fight the sickness. Unfortunately, the kwaito star couldn’t fight any longer and succumbed to his illness.

Mandoza was buried at the Heroes Acre in Westpark Cemetery, Johannesburg alongside the likes of Robbie Malinga, Joe Mafela and recently deceased rapper – Prokid.

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Main image credit: Facebook/@Mandoza