Music genius Prof Khumalo and his wife Rose remembered as perfect and caring duo

The choral community at large as well as family and friends celebrated the life of the late Prof Mzilikazi Khumalo and his wife Rose through music on Tuesday.

The memorial service of the two, who died last week two days apart from each other, took place on Tuesday afternoon virtually.

Khumalo, a celebrated choral composer, arranger and conductor, died on Tuesday last week at the age of 89 after a long struggle with sugar diabetes. His wife died on Thursday after a short illness. The two got married in January 1958 and will be buried tomorrow (June 30).The funeral proceedings will be broadcast live across all Joburg City Theatres’ YouTube pages from 9am to 11am.

Khumalo received many accolades and honours during his lifetime, including the Order of the Star for his outstanding achievements by former president Nelson Mandela in 1999, the Arts & Culture Trust Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003 and the M-Net Lifetime Award for fiction in 2007.

In the service, speakers, who comprised the choral community, praised Khumalo for his contribution to the growth of SA choral music. Speakers hailed the iconic choral composer for doing so much in uplifting, inspiring and developing others through his work as leading choral composer and adjudicator.

In between speakers, his compositions like Lala Ngokuthula, Mangificwa Ukufa, Kwadeda Ngendlale and Insizwa Endala were played to remind the masses of his amazing talent. Former national police commissioner Riah Phiyega was an MC and read messages from the public.

Khumalo’s daughter Nonhlanhla Khumalo praised her parents for teaching them humility, selflessness and the love of society. “It is sad and a joyous day for me at the same time to get an opportunity to talk about my parents," she said.

"I would express three things that we learnt from our parents. They cared, loved and cared for each other. Even when they argued, we knew deep down they loved each other. They acted the same in public and at home. My parents had love for culture and language. They taught us to prioritise education. Education was important to them. They used to say we will never choose for you what to study or who to marry."

Bishop Thandi Sithole, Khumalo's younger sister, said from a young age he showed passion for the language and the culture. “My brother was a caring and loving person. I remember when he came to Johannesburg he studied and found a job. He used to send my parents money every month until they died. He was that kind of person who always wanted to care for his own,” Sithole said. 

“With his wife, they were a perfect combination. With both dying almost at the same time it is painful for us as the family. Rose had an amazing spirit. She always made you feel welcome when you visit them. Looking at how they passed last week, it shows that the words 'till death do us apart' really existed in that house. Lalalani Mantungwa, you will always be in our hearts."

Choir conductor Sydwell Mhlongo, who worked with Khumalo for many years, said he was very strict when it came to music. “He never allowed us to make mistakes. He would stop the choir immediately when you make a mistake. He always made sure you don’t sing his songs without understanding the background of them and where they came from.”

Former TV presenter and choral music tenor Themba Mkhwani, whose tenor talent was moulded by Khumalo, said: “I met Bab’uKhumalo in 1993, he mentored me until I was one of the highly respected tenors. He used me when he was composing his music in songs such as Ushaka ka Senzangakhona an Epic. In 2005, he invited me to join him in Ohio [US] where we taught white kids how to sing Zulu choral music. We have lost a great man indeed.”