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Kwaito legends reflect on their encounters with bubbly, colourful Mshoza

Mzambiya at memorial service for Nomasonto Mshoza Maswanganyi held at Bassline Newtown,Johanneburg Photo Veli Nhlapo
Mzambiya at memorial service for Nomasonto Mshoza Maswanganyi held at Bassline Newtown,Johanneburg Photo Veli Nhlapo
Image: Veli Nhlapo

Several kwaito legends paid tribute to the late “queen of kwaito” Mshoza during a memorial service held at the Baseline in Newtown, Johannesburg on Wednesday. ..

Mshoza, born Nomasonto Maswangwayi, died from diabetes last week.

One of Mshoza's friends, Nkosinathi Zwane, aka Mzambiya, who collaborated with her on the hit single Kortes, shared how they first met at a rehearsal in Zola, Soweto.

“My spirit is broken as I never thought it would come to this. We met in 1998 in a house at our neighbourhood Ezola, where Mandoza and Chiskop would rehearse. It was then that Mshoza fell in love with my  lyrical content and proposed that we do a song together,” recalled Zwane.

Zwane also spoke about how he continued to push Mshoza in her career even when he first got a record deal with Bulldogz and motivated her to keep writing songs and auditioning until they recorded Kortes together.

Zwane described Mshoza as bubbly and colourful in character.

Producer Oscar Mlangeni, who introduced Mshoza to the music scene, said their relationship had its  highs and lows but he will always remember her as a little sister.

“I discovered Mshoza when she was 15 years old and had a tomboy personality, walking like she was carrying groceries. I remember how happy she was when I applied for a passport and we toured in Swaziland and the UK,” said Mlangeni.

In between tributes, Mshoza’s songs were played  and mourners danced to the tunes. Kwaito legend Mapaputsi also gave a kwaito rendition of Izinja to celebrate Mshoza's life.

Most speakers reminisced about how Mshoza was a passionate dancer and how she introduced the trend of wrapping bandannas around dancers' waists when dancing.

  Lebo Mothosa’s songwriter Xolani Ncubeni jokingly spoke about the bumpy journeys they had together and the squabbles they always had but quashed  in the end.

“We would go to perform at gigs, only to find out that she spent the money and when you call her phone was on voicemail,” said Ncubeni.

Mshoza’s manager Thanduxolo Jindela bid farewell to the kwaito artist by reminiscing about their kasi love stories and memories.

“You are going to perform and give them a showstopper and tell them our kasi stories of love. I salute you, queen of kwaito,” said Jindela.

Mshoza will be buried at Westpark Cemetery in Johannesburg on Saturday. 

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