Tokollo “Magesh” Tshabalala, a renowned member of the legendary group TKZee and a Kwaito legend, has departed. A family member discovered the 45-year-old hit maker’s lifeless body this morning; it is thought that he passed away while sleeping. His battle with epilepsy, according to a relative who preferred to remain unnamed, may have contributed to his passing.
One of the most well-known kwaito performers is Tshabalala, who is also a part of the group TKZee and is well-known for his composition and distinctive rapping abilities. The kwaito star’s death was caused by an epileptic seizure, according to a statement from the Tshabalala family issued through publicist Sheila Afari.“The family requests for privacy during this difficult period, all details pertaining to his memorial and funeral service will be shared in due course,” the statement read.
Halloween, the first full-length album by TKZee, was released in 1994. It was an enormous success and featured big singles like We Love This Place. The Recording Industry of SA awarded the record a platinum certification because it sold over 200 000 copies. The Best Kwaito Album, Best Duo/Group, Best Single, and Best Kwaito Single categories at the SA Music Awards were also won by them thanks to it.
They made headlines in 1997 with their hit song Phalafala, and a year later, their collaboration with Benni McCarthy, the current manager of Manchester United, which was recorded in Amsterdam, propelled them to international fame with their number-one single, Shibobo, which was a tribute to the 1998 Fifa World Cup.
They created Guz 2001, a compilation album by the TKZee Family in 1999. This group included the original TKZee members as well as artists from their record label TKZ Wrekords, including Gwyza, Loyiso, 2 Shot, and Dr Mageu, who performed on stage with Kutlwano Masote.He demonstrated that the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree because both he and his father, soccer coach Stanley “Screamer” Tshabalala, were creative geniuses in their own right.Magesh was the son of former Orlando Pirates star Stanley “Screamer” Tshabalala.
The club shared on Twitter: “@orlandopirates is saddened by the passing of the son of Mr Stanley Tshabalala, Tokollo. On behalf of the extended @orlandopirates family, we convey our heartfelt and deepest sympathy to the Tshabalala family.”
☠️ @orlandopirates is saddened by the passing of the son of Mr Stanley Tshabalala, Tokollo.
On behalf of the extended @orlandopirates family, we convey our heartfelt and deepest sympathy to the Tshabalala family.
⚫⚪🔴⭐#OrlandoPirates#OnceAlways pic.twitter.com/y5Sf7mwq1D
— Orlando Pirates FC (@orlandopirates) August 15, 2022
Orlando Pirates also issued a statement, on their club website: “Tokollo, who also goes by the name of Magesh, was a renowned musician, famously known for his songwriting and being a member of the group TKZee. We convey our heartfelt and deepest sympathy to the Tshabalala family and pledge our profound moral support.”
Tshabalala will be recognized as a Kwaito genre pioneer with a more than three-decade-long musical career who wrote popular songs including Mambotje and Dlala Mapantsula. Childhood friends Zwai Bala, a composer, and Kabelo Mabalane, a musician who later became a pastor and an anti-drug crusader, founded TKZee. The three met when studying at the prestigious St Stithians College.
The latter two continued to be visible in the public eye in their future careers, although Tshabalala did not do so for the past ten years. He accepted responsibility in 2007 for a car accident in Botswana that claimed the life of one person. Tshabalala believed that God was the reason he was not imprisoned in Botswana. He said that he prayed to God each morning and that he was sure that the Botswana courts would find him not guilty.
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