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David Masondo

Bongani Ndlovu Showbiz Correspondent
THE late Soul Brothers front man David Masondo will be buried in Mpumalanga, South Africa on Sunday with a memorial service in his honour to be held tomorrow.

Masondo, 67, died on Sunday afternoon at Garden City Hospital in Johannesburg after succumbing to kidney failure. He had been admitted to the hospital after collapsing on stage during a show in the Eastern Cape more than a month ago.

Soul Brothers band manager Welcome “Bhodloza” Nzimande said the memorial service would be held at Mpumalanga Technical College at 2PM tomorrow.

“The memorial service at Mpumalanga Technical College will be to honour Masondo. Different speakers will be present to pay tribute to Masondo and give a brief history of his life,” said Nzimande.

He said after the memorial, the body would lie in state at the family home in KwaZulu Natal awaiting burial on Sunday.

“The funeral service will be held at Mpumalanga Stadium at 9AM. This is where fans can come and say goodbye to Masondo and also pay their respects to him. Thereafter the body will be laid to rest at Malangeni Cemetery in the afternoon,” said Nzimande.

He said he hoped the funeral would be broadcast live on national television so that fans in the region would also have a chance to watch the funeral and the memorial service.

“I hope the SABCs and eTV will broadcast the service and funeral live so that the Soul Brothers’ fans who can’t make it to the stadium can also feel part of proceedings to say goodbye to this iconic man. I can’t confirm if the stations will do so but I believe they’re interested in doing so,” said Nzimande.

The stalwarts of South Africa’s music scene, the Soul Brothers have recorded 39 albums since their formation in 1974.

Initially formed in KwaZulu Natal, the group have remained the most successful proponents of mbaqanga music which dominated Southern African urban music for over three decades.