Mourners who gathered in Soweto yesterday to pay their last respects to fallen kwaito legend Sandile “Mapaputsi” Ngwenya were left gobsmacked when two women were introduced as his wives, even though he was not in a polygamous marriage.
The women are Nitty Nhlapo and Dieketseng Ayola Ngwenya.
This comes after midweek reports that Ngwenya was kicked off the mattress as
Mapaputsi’s chief mourner, the allegations the family refuted and dismissed as a fallacy.
However, during Mapaputsi’s funeral service held at the Dlamini multi-purpose centre, Nhlapo took to the podium with her four children after being invited to pay her homage to the Izinja hitmaker.
This was after former Isidingo actor Motlatsi Mafatshe, who was a programme director, introduced her as Mapaputsi’s wife when she was sedately waltzing towards the podium.
In her speech, Nhlapo pleaded with Mapaputsi’s friends to help her raise her sons so they can be the men they are meant to be. “Of all the promises that were made to my boys, the
only one I am asking for is for you to be there and guide my sons. I do not have the experience of raising boys to be men.”
Nhlapo’s children described their father as someone who was jovial, loving and supportive. They also added that, as time went by, they understood why he would miss their birthdays from time to time.
But when Ngwenya took to the podium and declared she was Mapaputsi’s one and only wife, a deafening silence engulfed the venue.
“My husband was the father of the nation, which makes me the mother of the nation. I will make sure that his legacy continues. I would like to express my deep love for him, and I will continue to do so. He will always be my love,” she added.
Speaking to Sunday World before the funeral, Ngwenya said she got married to Mapaputsi in 2021 after they met in Aliwal North in Eastern Cape.
She rubbished claims there had been discord, stating the corpse of the Zola-born artist was removed by her family and taken to Johannesburg, not by Nhlapho as widely
reported. Ngwenya also dispelled rumours that Mapaputsi’s family did not recognise her as their makoti.
“Both Nitty and I are getting along well, and there was no conflict over who should sit on the mattress. “In fact, we were not even sitting on the mattress; we were busy working together with the family to arrange for the funeral. People are trying to portray us and the Mapaputsi family negatively.”
Convicted kwaito star Brickz, who is languishing in prison for raping his cousin, also penned a tribute letter to Mapaputsi and stated that their friendship was a gift from God. “Our friendship was not perfect because the very same music we loved caused us to fight after he had not credited me for his hit song Izinja, but we eventually talked it through and I forgave him,” reads the letter.
Israel Matseke-Zulu, who spoke on behalf of the music industry, said he loves music but does not like the system.
Mapaputsi was laid to rest in Westpark Cemetery in Joburg yesterday.
Meanwhile, former Minister of Public Enterprises, Pravin Gordhan, will on Thursday be laid to rest in Durban, KwaZulu-Natal. Gordhan will be honoured with a Special Official Funeral Category 2. He passed away in hospital in the early hours of Friday morning after a battle with cancer. He was 75 years old.
