29 January 2021
The South African Communist Party (SACP) conveys its deepest condolences to the family of iconic musician, Sibongile Khumalo (63), who died on Thursday 28 January 2021. The SACP also sends its sincere condolences to her colleagues in the music industry and South Africans at large.
From her childhood years, living in the township under extreme limitations imposed by the apartheid system, Sibongile Khumalo wanted to become an opera singer and worked hard to realise her dream. The apartheid regime did not give opportunities to Africans to express themselves freely, including in the arts, especially but not exclusively in the opera and classical music fields. In addition, music was not a subject in African schools, in line with the apartheid policy of grooming the African child to be nothing but a source of super-exploited labour-power for the racialised capitalist economy. Thus, Sibongile Khumalo became and remains an inspiration to youngsters even beyond the borders of South Africa for her perseverance and resilience. Her composition and voice awakened an entire continent to the realities as she perceived them. Her music will continue to inspire future generations far beyond the foreseeable horizon.
Sibongile Khumalo received numerous awards for her music exploits. She is also the recipient of The Order of Ikhamanga in Silver, bestowed upon her by the President of the Republic on 27 October 2008 in recognition of her excellent contribution to the development of South African art and culture in the musical fields of jazz and opera.
In memory of Sibongile Khumalo, the SACP expresses its support for radical development of music, and performing arts in general, particularly in historically underdeveloped areas, townships and rural villages. These are the areas where our people who remain victims of the persisting legacy of apartheid spatial engineering and capitalist uneven development reside. Our democratic government faces the task to support the arts in historically disadvantaged schools, with a view to also uplift the knowledge of the history of our country as well as its future aspirations. The performing arts including the music industry needs talent development collaborations with the government, but purposefully focusing more on the less privileged, with full consciousness of the history of our country, in line with our constitutional principle and national development imperative to redress the imbalances created under successive colonial and apartheid regimes.
ISSUED BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN COMMUNIST PARTY | SACP
EST. 1921 AS THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF SOUTH AFRICA | CPSA
Dr Alex Mohubetswane Mashilo
SACP Central Committee Member:
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