Tributes are pouring in after it was made known that Tony Award nominee and Grammy and Hollywood Image award winner Dr Mbongeni Ngema passed away yesterday.

He was 68.

Ngema, who was born in Verulam, KZN, was a passenger involved in a head-on collision in Lusikisiki, Eastern Cape.

“Dr Ngema’s work touched and moved audiences around the world and made an important contribution in telling the South African story.

“Dr Ngema’s work was internationally acclaimed, receiving Tony Award nominations for Asinamali and Sarafina. Additionally, Dr Ngema also received Grammy Award nominations through his work in Sarafina and The Lion King. A testament to his artistic talent, Dr Ngema also acted in film, appearing in the film adaptation of Sarafina and the Oscar-nominated film Yesterday,” says Sport, Arts and Culture Minister Zizi Kodwa.

The minister adds that Dr Ngema’s work ‘did much to foster social cohesion and to express critical moments of South African history through the arts’. He concludes: “The passing of Dr Ngema is a significant loss to South African arts. I wish to express my deepest sympathies to the Ngema family, his colleagues, and contemporaries, and to the South African arts fraternity.”

More tributes

Mbongeni Ngema was a World Music Icon 💔 💔 pic.twitter.com/QQrBFXB9jg

— putco mafani (@PutcoMafani) December 28, 2023

I’m truly sorry to hear about the tragic loss of Mbongeni Ngema in a car accident during the festive, as he was returning from a funeral in Lusikisiki. His passing is a heartbreaking reminder of the fragility of life, especially during moments meant for celebration & reflection. pic.twitter.com/47F9Z9RphP

— Nomantu Nkomo Ralehoko (@NkomoNomantu) December 28, 2023

ANC YOUTH LEAGUE EXPRESSES PROFOUND SORROW AND CELEBRATES THE LEGACY OF RENOWNED ARTIST MBONGENI NGEMA.#ANCYLatWork pic.twitter.com/S3JS8vrE2W

— ANCYL (@ANCYLhq) December 28, 2023