Johannesburg – Former Generations Actor Menzi Ngubane has died at the age of 56, his family said in a statement.
News of the veteran actor’s death come just five months after he was unveiled as one of the latest additions to the cast of Mzansi Magic soapie, The Queen.
Ngubane rose to prominence when he appeared on Generations, portraying the character of ruthless businessman Ngamla.
He also featured on Isibaya, where he played Judas Ngwenya, a taxi owner. According to a family spokesperson, the actor died at home of a stroke..
“It is with great sadness that the Ngubane family announces the passing of its son, the acclaimed actor Menzi Ngubane, who passed away. As a family we wish to thank everyone for their continued and sustained support and the prayers for our beloved son, whose batt le with kidney failure and sugar diabetes had become an open secret over the years.
“We wish to mourn the passing of our beloved son in private and will communicate the funeral and other arrangements in due course,” the family wrote in the statement.
Ngubane had been suffering from kidney failure since 2004, before undergoing a kidney transplant in 2015.
He is survived by his two daughters and his wife, Sikelelwa Ngubane.
The Queen executive producer Connie Ferguson said she was still reeling from the shock of the news of her former colleague’s death.
She said he was one of the most talented actors she had come across.
“The industry has lost an icon! A legend,” she said. “I will miss his charm, his charisma, his commitment to a role, and on a personal level, the way he used to say ‘Aus de Cons’ to me with the widest grin on his face every time we met! This is a very sad loss. May he rest in power.”
She said Ferguson Films had planned to bring him on board the fifth season of The Queen, but the family had asked for more time for him to recover.
“This we respected and made a plan to continue without him, which we were very sad about, but understood,” she said.
Meanwhile, actress Noxolo Maqashalala has also died at the age of 44.
The actress, who starred in SABC drama series Tsha Tsha, was found dead at her home in Honeydew this past weekend.
Police suspect that she might have been dead for days.
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