OWN CORRESPONDENT, Johannesburg | Wednesday
INTERNATIONALLY acclaimed South African jazz musician Moses Molelekwa, 28, and his wife were found dead in his Johannesburg premises, police said on Wednesday.
Inspector Mary Martins-Engelbrecht said jazz pianist Molelekwa and Florence Mtoba, 35, were found late on Tuesday by Mtoba’s brother. Molelekwa was found hanging from a beam and his wife’s body was on the floor. They leave behind a young son.
The circumstances of the deaths were not yet known, police said. Sources close to them said Molelekwa had committed suicide after strangling his wife.
Since bursting onto the local music scene in the early 1990s, Molelekwa had been regarded as a musical genius for his extraordinary performing and composing skills.
His second album “Spirits and Genes”, released in 1998, won wide acclaim after the critical success of his first album “Finding Oneself”.
Music critics praised the dreadlocked, lanky young Molelekwa for his cutting edge improvising talents and drum and bass experiments. A documentary was made of the rising star, credited for reframing local rhythm.
Spirits and Genes soared to fame, embracing a range of sounds from African jazz to Cuban and Brazilian rhythms. Molelekwa collaborated with world stars such as Salif Keita from Mali and Cuban pianist Chucho Valdez in making the album. The same year he performed in France, sharing the stage with Senegalese star Ismael Lo. In Europe he met and worked with many musicians from west and central Africa.
The South African music community expressed sorrow Wednesday at the couple’s death. – AFP