Ebenhaezer Dibakwane’s brother characterised him as a brilliant mind who “dropped everything” to pursue a prosperous career in the competitive Johannesburg comedy industry.
“Ebby had an incredible mind; he was a scholar from a young age and always curious about the world around him,” said Lesedi Dibakwane.
“He took a particular serious interest in the Bible and, early in his teen years, got involved in teaching Sunday school.
“To follow his passion for God’s work, he took a gap year after matric to serve as a missionary.”
He was speaking at the award-winning comedian Dibakwane’s funeral, which was held at Church Unite in his hometown of Mbombela, Mpumalanga, on Friday.
Evidence that Dibakwane died by suicide was made public during the week after the shocking news of his death rocked the South African entertainment industry.
According to his family, despite his ability to make others laugh, he battled depression for years.
Complications at birth
Dibakwane, who passed away at the age of 31, fell in love with comedy when he was still a teenager, and his family was largely unaware of the impact he would have on the world.
In order to follow his passion for comedy, he dropped out of university twice.
“Comedy was pulling him strongly, and it was incredible to see him grow on the very tough Johannesburg comedy scene and become a respected comic.
“He was really fated and honoured by his fellow comics; when he received his awards for us, it was a fulfilment of a talent we had known was immense.
“Truth though, Ebby became much bigger than anything we could have imagined.”
Lesedi went on to say that the comedian had complications at birth and was the youngest of five siblings.
He claimed that they developed a close sibling bond after their little brother was born and they assisted their mother in caring for him.
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