Tributes after death of former Herald Citizen of the Year winner Maqina

He died on Heritage Day, which was somewhat fitting for a man who was a staunch traditionalist who did all he could to keep his culture alive and relevant.

This was the most common sentiment from those who paid tribute to former Herald Citizen of the Year winner The Rev Mzwandile Maqina, who died after battling colon cancer.

Maqina, 82, 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 drama production company mixed with traditional dancing and music.

One of his proteges, Odwa Duru, of Odwa Duru Funerals, whose father was renowned musician and composer Welcome Duru, said he had first known Maquina through political activism.

 “But after joining New Generation, I was taken to another level in the arts,” he said.

“He wrote a play called New Dawn that took the world by storm and we became the first group from Nelson Mandela Bay to tour the world.”

He said one of Maqina’s plays, The Skull, had attracted the attention of the film producer and creator of Muvhango and Uzalo, Dr Duma kaNdlovu, who came to see the play and recruited some of the members of New Generation.

“So tatu Maqina groomed us. I am a prominent praise singer because he held my hand and said I was going to make it.

“He lived for the arts and was what we call a traditional fundamentalist.

“He was the only person I knew who wore traditional gear every day.

“He kept the culture alive and wanted the younger generation to also be passionate about culture and traditions,” Duru said.

KaNdlovu penned a message on Facebook about Maqina, giving a brief history of his life and achievements.

His youngest son, Thami, said his father’s health had deteriorated earlier in 2019 and he had been in and out of hospital but always insisted that he wanted to be home and wanted to die in his own bedroom.

“He loved prayer, a man of faith and respected his ancestors and loved tradition, and the fact that he passed away on Heritage Day shocked us but we took it as a sign that he truly was a man of heritage and his funeral will be held on the day that would have been his birthday,” Thami said.

He said Maqina had loved his grandchildren and enjoyed spending time with all of them because he “found the sound of happy children the best noise”.

Maqina will be buried in New Brighton on October 2.

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