Manqoba Ntombela, a 62-year-old musician and businessman who was killed in front of his home on Friday, will be buried in KwaZulu-Natal, according to his family.
Ntombela was ambushed while sitting in his bakkie after leaving his spaza shop five houses from his home on Friday night.
Ntombela founded the versatile music group Woza Afrika, which gained fame with the hit song Istokvel.
Themba Malobola KaMsipha, a family spokesperson, announced in a statement on Monday that Ntombela’s memorial service will take place on Wednesday at noon at the Ratanda Multi-Purpose Centre in Ratanda, Heidelberg.
According to Malobola KaMsipha, Ntombela was also a taxi owner.
He will be buried in Escourt in the uThukela district, said Malobola KaMsipha, adding that more information on the funeral date will be released later.
Family pleads for privacy
Malobola KaMsipha pleaded with the public to give Ntombela’s family some privacy and time to grieve during this difficult time.
“The matter is currently under investigation by the South African Police Service. We appeal for calm, patience, and respect as we allow the legal processes to take their course,” he said.
Ntombela and his friends formed Woza Afrika in Ratanda in the 1990s, and after participating in the Shell Road to Fame competition, the band became extremely popular.
The businessman was hit in the face by an assailant who approached his car while he was at the gate of his house in the township that is notorious for the killing of South African spaza shop owners.
Dudu, Ntombela’s daughter, told Sunday World on Saturday that her father was killed while he was waiting for her younger brother to open the gate for him.
He died while on his way to hospital.
Ntombela started out as a teacher in the community before turning to music with his group, which was helped to achieve fame by Mzwakhe Mbuli, who is known as the People’s Poet.
