South African Kwaito music icon, Mandoza died yesterday at the age of 38 – his family confirmed that he lost his battle to cancer yesterday, about a year after he had been diagnosed with a brain tumour.
In a statement released by his family at the time‚ it emerged that he had been fighting for his life after the cancer metastasized to his brain.
Mandoza’s nephew Kamohelo Seneke told the press on Sunday that the artist was taken to Charlotte Maxeke Hospital at about 8:30 yesterday morning, where he later passed away, just after noon.
Real names Mduduzi Edmund Tshabalala, the musician was born in the Soweto township in the city of Johannesburg.
Mandoza started a solo music career in 1999 and released ‘9-II-5 Zola South’. The album reportedly sold over 100 thousand copies and was praised by critics.Nkalakatha was a bigger hit for Mandoza in 2000.
The album achieved commercial success with a multi-platinum status. The title track became one of Mendoza’s most recognizable songs and won the Song Of The Year category at the South African Music Awards in 2001.
In the same year, Mandoza also won in other categories, which includes Best Kwaito Artist, Best Male Vocalist, Best Album, Best Styled Artist, and Song Of The Year.
In a 2010 interview, Mandoza is seen speaking about his album “Real Deal.” He speaks about changing the style of his music to reflect his age. He also states that he doesn’t want to be labelled a kwaito artist due to his diversity as an artist.
Mandoza went on to release two more albums before succumbing to his battle with cancer.