The rise and dramatic fall of Pitch Black Afro is the most accurate allegory to highlight the impact of drug addiction.
Gauteng court: Pitch Black Afro killed his wife
Real name Thulani Ngcobo, Pitch Black Afro appeared before the South Gauteng High Court to hear the outcome of his homicide case involving his wife Catherine Modisane.
Modisane died from blunt force trauma and in the eyes of Judge J du Plessis, the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA) presented enough evidence to prove that the once-successful rapper was the one who committed the crime.
However, it was the court’s opinion that Pitch Black Afro had not premeditated his wife’s death. Therefore, of the three charges he faced, the rapper was only found guilty of culpable homicide and not guilty for premeditated murder and defeating the ends of justice.
‘I won’t take this lying down’
What started out as a fun night of drinking with friends ended up with Modisane bleeding profusely from being struck in the head by Pitch Black Afro at the bed and breakfast they had booked out in Yeoville, Johannesburg, in 2018.
The rapper did not take the news of the guilty verdict particularly well, according to Sowetan. He maintains that his confession to the murder was coerced by detectives and swore to fight for justice to the bitter end.
“I won’t take this lying down. Bayang’sukela.. They’ve wasted one-and-a-half-year of my life,” he exclaimed.
The rise and epic fall of Pitch Black Afro
Pitch Black Afro is already immortalised as one of South Africa’s most successful Hip-Hop artists. His alternative appeal, mimicking the style of US rapper Redman, matched with his witty lyrics delivered on a DJ Cleo production, made him the most sought-after act in the early 2000s.
His debut Styling Gel, released in 2004, held the record as SA Hip-Hop’s highest-selling album for 10 years, before Cassper Nyovest dethroned him with 2014’s Tsholofelo.
Somewhere between that amazing achievement and the night he called the police in Yeoville, pretending to not know why his wife wasn’t breathing, life took a sharp downward turn for the rapper.
Now, without a dime to his name, Pitch Black Afro could spend between five to 15 years in prison, depending on the judge’s view of the case.
