As the country mourns the passing of legendary musician Johnny Clegg, his music partner Sipho Mchunu says he is in total disbelief about Clegg’s death.
Clegg died on Tuesday after a long battle with pancreatic cancer and was laid to rest during a private ceremony on Wednesday.
Mchunu and Clegg formed the band Juluka in 1969. The band was closely associated with the mass movement against apartheid. Mchunu says Clegg was more than a brother to him.
“My mind is offbeat. My heart is offbeat. I’ve lost, not even friends, he is more than my brother. He is more than a friend. He is everything. I don’t believe what happened to him because he told me that he’s getting sick slowly but I said he’s a strong man. He will manage to get away from that. But anyway it just happened.”
Clegg and Mchunu were both conferred an Honorary Doctorates from the Durban University of Technology in 2018 for their significant contribution to music.
More tributes…
Tributes continue to pour in for legendary musician, dancer, author and academic, Johnny Clegg.
Earlier President Cyril Ramaphosa paid tribute to Clegg during his Presidency’s Budget Vote in Parliament.
“It is our collective sadness as a country to also have learnt of the passing away of Johnny Clegg also known to many of us as Juluka Johnny, who was one of the early persons in this country to demonstrate the reality of not only social cohesion, but cultural integration. ”
Ndileka Mandela remembers Johnny Clegg
Former President Nelson Mandela’s granddaughter Ndileka Mandela says the late musician Johnny Clegg and her grandfather shared the same vision for South Africa regarding the unity of different race groups.
Ndileka Mandela was speaking to SABC News ahead of Thursday’s International Mandela Day celebrations.
“Johnny Clegg certainly taught us that we are more than our race and cultures. To the 2 of them there is no black and white. They just see human beings. And that is what in essence embodies Johnny Clegg and my grandfather that to them, people were human beings. We may belong to different races and cultures, but we belong to one race, the race of humankind.”
The SABC says Johnny Clegg’s artistic work will continue to form part of the public broadcaster’s rich archives.
The broadcaster has expressed its heartfelt condolences to the family, friends and fans of the late musician.
The SABC spokesperson Vuyo Mthembu says, “Throughout his career, he continuously displayed great commitment and passion in all his performances. He made an incredible mark in the music industry and transformation of our society. His contribution to the music industry will remain and continue to inspire young people who looked up to him as an inspirational artist.”
More on Johnny Clegg’s life:
