South Africa: Ms. Zahara, an award-winning South African Afro-pop singer, has passed away at the age of 35 after a battle with illness.
The songwriter, whose real name was Bulelwa Mkutukana, rose to fame in 2011 with her album Loliwe.
Mr. Zizi Kodwa, South African Minister of Sports, Arts and Culture, stated that, she had been in hospital, reportedly with liver complications, and the government had been assisting the family “for some time.”
According to reports, Ms. Zahara died on the last day night in a Johannesburg hospital. In 2019, the singer spoke up about her struggle with alcoholism.
The musician’s family confirmed last month that she had been admitted to the hospital and called on South Africans to pray for her.
“Ms. Zahara and her guitar made an incredible and lasting impact in South African music,” Mr. Kodwa posted on social media platform X.
The singer won several awards over her career, including eight South African Music Awards in 2012 alone, and the best female artist and album of the year.
Ms. Zahara went on to produce a fourth album, Mgodi, in 2017, which was her best-selling, and her final album in 2021, Nwaba Yam, hit number one on iTunes. She was listed as one of the BBC’s 100 Women in 2020.
The singer also used her platform to speak out about violence against women in South Africa, something she revealed had happened to her.
Ms. Zahara was born outside of East London in the Phumlani informal settlement. At the age of six, she started singing in her school and church choirs.
MOST READ | Limiting daily eating schedule to 10hrs boosts energy levels; Study
