It was a day filled with tears and laughter as close friends, family and industry colleagues gathered at Birchwood Hotel in Boksburg, on the East Rand, to honour late media personality and actress Nomakula “Kuli” Roberts at her memorial service on Wednesday. 

Roberts died aged 49 last Wednesday.

Roberts acted in several productions, most recently in the Netflix original film Angeliena. She co-hosted several popular radio and TV shows including What Not To Wear, The Real Goboza, TrendingSA and Kaya FM’s breakfast show with the late radio legend Bob Mabena.

She was also a journalist at Fair Lady, Drum, You and Sunday World.

Former Trending SA hosts Nina Hastie and Shaka Sisulu steered the memorial ship, with Hastie saying Roberts wouldn't have wanted a “conventional memorial”.

Legendary musician Ringo Mandlingozi gave a moving tribute and was later joined by the star's family on stage.

Hlubi Mboya-Arnold read a letter from Roberts's two children, who called this time in their lives the worst. Mboya-Arnold also asked people to accept that her sister is gone and not regret anything because Roberts wouldn't have wanted to leave anyone with regrets.

“Let's just let her go because she needs to rest and we all know that... You gave my sister so much love. In that tiny body of hers she held the worst and the best of us,” she said, putting on a brave face.

“You have helped us to remain sane during this time, we call it the worst because it is the worst. We miss you mommy, we miss you sister, your love and laughs and your jokes and humour,” read the letter.

“You gave my sister so much love. In that tiny body of hers she held the best and worst of us. But one thing I know for sure and I know we are all feeling the same way; let's not live a life of regret. She was complex, she was difficult, she was beautiful, she was loving, kind, crazy, fantastic but she was so gentle, let's just let her go because she needs to rest and we all know that.”

Some of her former colleagues and schoolmates took to the podium to honour the woman they affectionately called “Momomo”, “Titi” and other pet names the star came up with.

Seasoned journalist and publicist Sonia Motaung said it would take time to accept that she had to live in a world without Roberts. She said journalism was a thankless job.

“She was outspoken, she was fierce, she knew why she was sent to this earth. Yes, Kuli wherever she is she is resting, we are left with whatever it is that caused her pain, we have to move with the times, we have to move with the thing of what really happened to Kuli, who wasn't treating Kuli right for Kuli to end up that way she did. Kuli gave so much of herself.”

In true Roberts fashion style, comedian and former colleague at Kaya FM Skumba Hlophe requested Hastie to reintroduce him and the room was filled with cheers when he went on stage. He said he enjoyed his time with Roberts and Mabena.

“I'm the only person who gave Kuli Roberts and Bob Mabena the best last days of their radio careers. Thank you to Kuli's family for giving us Kuli, everyone knows that this industry can swallow a person.”

Roberts's friends Nambitha Ben-Mazwi and Nyaniso Bhengu penned their moving tributes.

“There are things we didn’t know about our child but today you have made us realise how difficult those psychological scars she was going through were, and she wanted to deal with those alone,” said Prof Mzobanzi Mboya, Roberts’s uncle.