Funeral proceedings of the late Joseph Shabalala have kicked off and we have the live stream of the occasion right here.
Watch: Burial proceedings of Joseph Shabalala
Joseph Shabalala, the founder of Ladysmith Black Mambazo, passed away after a long battle with health complications, on Tuesday 11 February.
He is survived by his wife, Thoko Shabalala and their six children Nkosinathi, Msizi, Thulani, Sbongiseni, Thami and Cindy.
Joseph Shabalala is being honoured with a special official funeral. The proceedings are taking place at the Ladysmith Indoor Sports Centre, in Ladysmith KwaZulu-Natal (KZN).
President Cyril Ramaphosa is expected to deliver the legend’s eulogy.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo achievements
As the group’s founder and musical director, Shabalala moulded Ladysmith Black Mambazo into a world-renowned and formidable brand, speaking to existence the essence of the choral group.
After all ‘Black Mambazo’ in the group’s name means ‘black axe’. The name was adopted by Shabalala in the 1960s when he would compete in weekly isicathamiya contests. If you went up against them, you were challenging the might of the black axe.
Ladysmith Black Mambazo has gone on to win five Grammy Awards with 16 nominations, multiple South African Music Awards (SAMA) and released more than 50 albums at Gallo Music, many of which have retained gold and platinum status.
