THE shocking news of 28 January 2021 is only comparable to our country’s darkest hour on 21 February 1917. As is the case with Covid-19 today, then the world was in the throes of a life-threatening pandemic – the First World War.
On that fateful day, 104 years earlier, more than 600 gallant South Africans perished in the service of our land.
Of that mournful occasion, the poet SEK Mqhayi lamented, ‘Somebody has to die, so that others can build.
‘Somebody has to serve, so that others can live’. The death of Dr Sibongile Khumalo brought back those memories because, like a soldier, she died with her boots on.
Mme Khumalo may have been born in Orlando West 63 years ago, but we as a province legitimately lay claim to her. Her beautiful voice didn’t only immortalise Princess Magogo, but also kept her legend alive in the hearts and minds of many.
As she graced the world stages, she ably carried us on her broad motherly shoulders.
Because of that, the 2008 bestowal on her of the Order of Ikhamanga in silver was well-deserved.
The arts and culture fraternity has been enriched through her pioneering spirit, warmth and love for life.
Mme Khumalo was close to our hearts in more ways than one.
Having studied music at Ongoye, she enthusiastically ploughed back into the institution through the Department of Creative Arts.
The honorary doctorate she received from the institution recognised her immense contribution to the arts and to humanity.
Her larger than life personality and humility remind us that influence is far more superior than power because the latter isolates while the former unearths hidden capabilities, talents and possibilities.
The many young hearts she has touched attest to her reach and dedication to the youth.
The lady of song’s generosity of spirit ignited the ‘can do’ fire in far-flung areas of the country. So, to ensure that her legacy lives on for generations, her death shouldn’t be the end of an era, but the beginning of a new journey.
Arts and culture have a big role to play in telling the country’s story and in the preservation of our rich heritage.
Our icons shouldn’t suffer the ignominy of those who fell in the Mendi catastrophe. For, long after the Great War, their contribution was written out of mainstream history accounts.
The selfless role of women such as Dr Khumalo shouldn’t be erased but must form the nucleus of stories told of this country. Institutions of learning, cultural practitioners, business and the government have a duty of ensuring that our iconic heroes’ sacrifices do not gather dust in museums, but are utilised to rekindle the spirit of service in us all.
* Dr Khaya Gqibitole is a lecturer in the English Department at the University of Zululand
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