The death of musician Mandla Maphumulo, popularly known as Mampintsha, has left many people shocked in his hometown of Umlazi in Durban.
He died in a Durban hospital at the age of 40 on Saturday. In a statement released earlier, record label Afrotainment confirmed that the musician had suffered a stroke a week ago.
Thapie Mqadi of Max’s Lifestyle in Umlazi, who knew Mampintsha, says his death has left a huge void.
“Mampintsha was really a great guy for our business and also with our customers, he’s very interactive and he was very communicative, he would even interact with our staff, that’s how friendly he was. And welcoming he was. He played a really big role for our business, and also, he has done so much in terms of performing. He would always bring the vibe, and he would always bring the energy that we need especially within the Umlazi community. You can see that everybody loves him, everybody enjoys his authentic self.
The department’s Nathi Olifant says, “We are deeply saddened by the loss of an artists who was born and bred in KZN. Mampintsha was an immensely talented young man who rose from the township of Umlazi and defied many odds to become one of the country’s foremost musical figures. Together they proved that the person’s home background need not really matter how far they go with life and that with hard work only the sky is the limit.”
