SA bids brother of soul a final farewell

It is through songs such as “Yenina Mantombazane”, “Mama ka Sibongile” and “Mngani Wami” that I have my very fond memories of the Soul Brothers.

My father is a big fan of the mbaqanga genre, and he owns almost all of the albums the band has to offer. I fell in love with their music as a child, and sang along to their beautiful songs.

Being a youngster then, all I could think of when I heard their music, was the lead singer, the late David Masondo. In fact, I thought Soul Brothers was his name, and he was the only important person in the group.

Although I grew up to understand how it really worked, it didn’t completely leave my mind, I still secretly thought he was Soul Brothers. The Colgate and toothpaste struggle, black people will understand.

I have sentimental stories through their music, and I plan to narrate them to my grandchildren.

During school I was always in the class that made the most noise in the entire school, and I was always among the top five noise makers, I still think it was coincidental though.

The one day which I will never forget is when I was busy teaching my friends the song, “Mantombazane”, so we could sing it together, and I was caught red-handed by my arts and culture teacher, Mr Mathonsi.

I was so sure that he was going to beat me because I had been a culprit for so long, instead, he was stunned.This was in grade seven, 2005. The fact that a kid so young, knew and sang songs that were associated with the older generation, astonished him.

He asked me how I knew that song, and I used the opportunity to my advantage, and sang him more songs from the band. To cut a long story short, I was made leader of the school choir, which I did until I left in 2008.

I never met Masondo, nor had the opportunity to interview him, but I somehow felt as if I had known him, through his music. His ability to alter the atmosphere of each song to suite the lyrics and jam, was amazing. I don’t think other artists have mastered that art.

Those of us who are fans, would attest to this fact. There are songs by the band that would make you want to cry. It is songs such as “Mama”, “Amanikiniki”, “Bazobuya”, to mention but a few.

His voice and tone just take you there, and you feel whatever message they convey through the song. Whether he sings about a friend eyeing his wife, building the nation, or about disco in the air, the sentiment is sure to be felt by us, the listeners.

However, there are two things that are still unclear to me though, as a Soul Brothers fan, I still wonder if they got to live the life they had always wanted to live with Mama ka Sibongile, or if Sibongile ever stopped wondering the streets at night.

Be that as it may, in the wake Masondo’s passing on Saturday, we can all attest and agree to one thing. With his indisputable presence and phenomenal voice in the band, he was an absolute crowd-puller.

Event organisers knew that having them on their menu would only mean one thing, more audience.Of course, who wouldn’t want to see such great legends performing live? My fellow Nkomazi citizens will also attest to this, because any show in the area that featured these legends, was sure to be packed to the roof.

Forget his flaws as a human being, the man was a legendary entertainer, he lived for the stage, he had absolutely amazing dance moves, and their choreography is a definite yes.

I am not sidelining the effort put in by all the respective members, but Masondo really stood out for me, hence I thought his name was Soul Brothers. The internationally acclaimed band was really blessed to have him, and he made sure to make his presence felt all the time. When I received the news via WhatsApp, from Johan Sibiya, with whom he was recently recording his album, I felt downcast.

The same feeling I had when I heard of the news of Michael Jackson’s passing and Bhekumuzi Luthuli.

I’m sitting here; imagining how melodious and joyous heaven must be, imagine these three together in one concert. The passing of Masondo doesn’t just rob us of good music, it also robs Mpumalanga artists.I spoke to Sibiya, who was devastated by this great loss.

“I am heartbroken, I was deeply attached to him and his family. A man born in Durban, came to Mpumalanga, and wanted to record an album with me. “He was ready to get involved in projects to help artists in the province in any way possible. The platform was provided; it’s a pity the opportunity has been now taken away from us.

“Masondo was a very humble man, always willing to see the brighter side of things. After we had recorded his last album titled, Udlala Ngami, he wanted us to record five more. He said to me,

“I want you to keep them, so that even when I’m gone, people may still listen to my voice’.” Now we all know why I have compared this musician to the late legendary Michael Jackson, great minds think alike.

May his soul rest in eternal peace.