Bulelwa “Zahara” Mkututana, a multi-award-winning AfroPop star, has died.
Zizi Kodwa, the Minister of Arts and Culture, confirmed her death.
In a late-night tweet, the minister expressed his sadness at the singer’s death and expressed his heartfelt condolences to her family and the South African music industry.
He remembered Zahara as having had a huge and long-lasting influence on South African music.
Zahara’s family issued a statement on her social media accounts two weeks ago, in response to media reports that she had fallen ill.
According to the posts, the 35-year-old singer was admitted to the hospital with “physical pains” and doctors were treating her; she died on Monday at a private hospital. The cause of death has yet to be determined.
In 2011, the singing sensation released her first studio album, Loliwe, which went double platinum.
Her second album, Phendula, topped the charts two years later, with three top singles: Phendula, Impilo, and Stay.
In 2015, she repeated the feat with Country Girl, which went triple platinum, and Nqaba Yam, her fifth album, which debuted at number one on iTunes.
The self-taught guitarist has 17 SAMusic awards, three Metro FM awards, and a Nigeria Entertainment award to his name.
Messages of condolence have flooded social media, with many expressing shock and sadness at the news.
Lady Zamar, a South African singer-songwriter, tweeted: “She did a lot for the music industry in South Africa – paving the way for so many others with her iconic presence and guitar in hand.” She will be sorely missed.”
