Mbongeni Ngema

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Lore & Background

Mbongeni Ngema was born on 10 May 1955 in Verulam, Natal (near Durban), the third of seven children of Gladys Hadebe and Zwelikhethabantu Ngema, a policeman. After the 1950 Group Areas Act reclassified Verulam for Indians only, his family was relocated to kwaHlabisa, where he lived a rural life and attended school until Standard Six. He later moved back to Verulam and then Durban, attending Vukuzakhe High School in Umlazi but dropping out in his final year to play music in local bands, teaching himself guitar inspired by his father. Ngema moved to Johannesburg, working in a fertilizer factory before joining Gibson Kente's theatre company as a singer and trainee actor. He became well known in the 1980s after co-writing *Woza Albert!* with Percy Mtwa (1981; toured the U.S. 1984) and the multi-award-winning musical *Sarafina!* (premiered 1988). He founded his own theatre company, Committed Artists, and wrote and directed the prison musical *Asinamali* (1983), which was raided by police and actors arrested. The story is based on a famous rent strike in a Durban township, and toured to New York City, premiering at the Roger Furman Theatre and being nominated for a Tony Award. His works include *Township Fever* (1990), about a major workers' strike, and *Sheila's Day* (1990), co-written with Duma ka Ndlovu. He contributed vocal arrangements for Disney's *The Lion King* (1994), earning a multi-platinum award for sales in excess of 6 million copies, and co-wrote the song 'African Solution' with Mfiliseni Magubane (1994), which was awarded gold and platinum discs.

Reader's Guide

Mbongeni Ngema's significance lies in his theatrical works that gave voice to black South Africans under apartheid, particularly through *Woza Albert!* and *Sarafina!*, which achieved international acclaim and multiple award nominations. *Sarafina!* (1988), set in the Soweto uprising of 1976, was nominated for five Tony Awards and later for a Grammy Award, winning 11 NAACP Image Awards and enjoying a two-year run on Broadway. His plays often addressed political and social issues, such as rent strikes (*Asinamali*), the Soweto uprising (*Sarafina!*), and workers' strikes (*Township Fever*). Despite controversies, his work was recognized with honors including a Tony nomination for *Asinamali!* (Best Direction of a Play, 1987), induction into the New York 'Walk of Fame' in front of the Lucille Lortel Theatre (1998), and his name engraved on the entrance of Durban City Hall alongside Nelson Mandela and others (2001). He was awarded an honorary doctorate by the University of Zululand (2013) and a SAMA Lifetime Achievement Award (2018). His legacy includes training young actors through Committed Artists and composing for major productions, though his career was marked by both praise and dispute. His death in a car accident on 27 December 2023 ended a career that spanned over four decades.

Did You Know?

• Ngema was the third of seven children; his father was a policeman stationed in Verulam.
• After the 1950 Group Areas Act, his family was relocated to kwaHlabisa, where he lived a rural life and attended school only until Standard Six.
• His prison musical *Asinamali* (1983) was raided by police and actors arrested shortly after its first performance in South Africa.
• Ngema contributed vocal arrangements for Disney's *The Lion King* (1994), earning a multi-platinum award for sales over 6 million copies.
• In 2001, his name was engraved on the entrance of Durban City Hall alongside Nelson Mandela, Oliver Tambo, and Miriam Makeba.