In 2003‚ I joined a band called New Edition‚ in Umlazi‚ south of Durban. By then‚ I had already been a piano player for a decade.

At the time‚ no one told me that the band had a partnership agreement with Sfiso Ncwane‚ who had already made hits that captured the nation‚ such as Makadunyiswe.

After months playing with New Edition‚ on one Thursday‚ Sfiso arrived at the garage for a rehearsal.

He was a calm musician who was willing to work with anyone. I moved away from the keyboards as I wanted to learn as much from him as I could.

We sang one song he had written for the group‚ titled Lapho Kukhona Abahluphekile. I was surprised that he could visit us in such a place. Our rehearsal venue was not your normal studio set-up.

It was a garage. Our group was poor and we had not made a breakthrough in the industry. The garage had a nagging stinking smell from the five dogs that lived in it and guarded the house owner’s car. That did not matter to Sfiso. He just loved the music we played together.

He was already famous by then‚ but that didn’t mean anything to him either. When it came to music‚ he gave it his all‚ no matter who the audience was and how many people turned up.

One day‚ he brought us to a community hall in Adams on the South Coast. We were one of the curtain-raisers on the day. He did not have a backing vocalist‚ so he performed to music from a CD. And boy‚ did he give it his all.

Sfiso sang all his great hits to an audience that was made up of primary school kids‚ a few teenagers and grannies.

He jumped from the stage onto the floor and began dancing with the children — a moment they cherished. Most of the cellphones those days did not take pictures. So‚ for the children it was about touching and dancing with him‚ a gospel star they normally see on TV.

Ntombifuthi Mntambo‚ one of the lead vocalists in New Edition‚ knew him well.

“Our drummer in New Edition‚ Skhumbuzo Gumede‚ was his homeboy from Mthwalume. They met in town and Ncwane immediately told him he would come and see us. He came to our rehearsals and later we signed a deal for him to take us to Joburg to record an album. At the studio‚ he wrote us a great song titled Lapho Kukhona Abahluphekile‚ Thumela uMoya Wakho‚” Mntambo explained.

She added that the group and Sfiso had their share of problems‚ something normal in the music industry‚ but the New Edition members remember him most for his passion for music.

Jabu Shangase‚ another member‚ said he is still in shock over Ncwane’s death.

“We are hurting as musicians and cannot believe that he is no more. To Sfiso‚ music was life and life was music‚” explained Shangase.

 “He made gospel music alive and relevant to a much bigger audience. He used to organise gospel concerts to give platform for groups in rural areas and townships to showcase their talents.

 “He would go to these communities‚ perform and stay for the whole day listening to upcoming artists from the area. One day‚ he arrived in Durban from Joburg and joined us to Mthwalume. He had not bathed. He was tired and we thought he would not do a great job on stage.

 “But we were wrong. On stage‚ he performed like it was last performance in life.”

Sfiso‚ who died on Monday‚ became the first gospel star to win Record of the Year at the 2013 South African Music Awards. His hit song Kulungile Baba (It is well‚ father) became a gospel anthem for many.

But I will always remember the Sfiso of those old days… — TMG Digital