Activist and playwright Rev Mzwandile Maqina loses cancer battle

The arts and culture fraternity is mourning the loss of veteran playwright, director and popular clergyman Rev Mzwandile Maqina who died at the age of 83 after battling colon cancer.

Rev Maqina, also an anti-apartheid activist, gained prominence when he wrote Give Us This Day, a musical production that was banned by the apartheid government.

He was also involved in the setting up of youth theatre in Nelson Mandela Bay and established the New Generation dancers, a production company that toured Europe and the USA.

In 2017 he launched his biography, Mzwandile Maqina: The Untold Story written by Unisa professor Vuyisile Msila.

His son Thami Maqina said his health had deteriorated earlier this year and he had been in and out of the hospital before he succumbed to the illness on Thursday in his home.

“My father had a strong passion for tradition and culture and he died on Heritage Day and for us, that speaks to the kind of man he was.

"He was prepared for his death and in turn that prepared us. He insisted that he wanted to die in his own bedroom and insisted on being discharged from hospital,” Thami said.

He said what he treasured most about his father was his love for his culture and his relentless faith in God.

Maqina was also a former The Herald Citizen of the Year winner. 

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