Mpura’s gogo finally speaks out

The late Amapiano sensation Mpura was preparing to throw a thanksgiving ceremony and perform rituals at the end of this month to thank his ancestors for his illustrious music career.

But the plans were aborted after the musician, whose hits include Umsebenzi Wethu and Impilo yasesandton, died in a car accident in North West last weekend.

This was revealed by his grandmother, Gogo Babe Blaza Stuurman.

Stuurman said Mpura, real name Mongezi Mampurampura Stuurman, visited her at the end of last month and asked her to brew traditional beer to drink with his friends and family as a way to thank his ancestors for the talent they had blessed him with.

She said Mpura, who had been living with her for several years, had left last year after securing an apartment in Greenstone.

“He said he was very grateful for the things he had achieved in life and said though things had slowed down because of Covid-19, he still wanted to perform these rituals. He knew that I’m very good at brewing delicious umqombothi, that’s why he came to ask me to do it. I think that day he was from a gig because he arrived very late at night and slept here,” she said.

Stuurman said she asked him to give her money to buy the ingredients, but he advised her to send him a list of them and the things she would want so he could go buy them himself.

“He then hugged me and told me that he loved me and promised to see me again when he brings the things I told him to buy. Little did I know that I was seeing him for the last time,” she said with her eyes soaked in tears.

She said she learnt of his death from his colleagues on Monday. “I couldn’t believe when they came here to tell me that he is no more. Even now I can’t believe it, I wish this was just a nightmare or bad dream,” she said.

Mpura, and his fellow artists Killer Kau, Thando Tot, Khanya “The Voice” Hadebe, and TD died when the car they were travelling in was involved in a head-on collision near Marikana Tollgate in Rustenburg on the N4 highway last weekend. They were on their way to a gig.

Mpura will be buried on Tuesday at Westpark cemetery, while Killer Kau was laid to rest today.

Shock as Mzansi realise something else about Mpura

As SA continues to mourn the tragic loss of Amapiano star Mpura, many have been shocked to discover that the hitmaker had rebranded to join the Amapiano fraternity and that he led an interesting life outside making music.

Mpura, real name Mongezi Stuurman, died in a fatal car accident on Saturday with five others in a head-on collision on their way to a gig in Rustenburg.

While SA has celebrated the amapiano star for his outstanding verses and his ability to be and bring good vibes to any song or place, the country was shocked to discover some of the things Mpura did before he burst onto the music scene.

A lot of people didn’t know that Mpura was the now-split up Jazzi Disciples road manager, but the shocking discovery came when Mzansi realized just how big Mpura was in the fashion industry.

Not only did the guy style models and dabble in modelling himself, but Mongezi founded Mpura Designs, a unisex street style brand.

In 2018, Mongezi made his South African Fashion Week debut, showcasing his Autumn/Winter 2019 collection.

Mpura was true to his style and defined being classy in a non-typical way.

“There is more to being classy than simply being stylish and confident. Being classy means always being kind, respectful, and polite, even to those who are unkind to you,” Mpura wrote on his fashion line’s Instagram account.

A fan of Mpura’s created a Twitter thread showcasing some of his most creative moments.

See the tweets below:

I’m angry because I’m discovering another creative side of Mpura that has been right under my nose, from styling models, to shooting fashion week for years to doing fashion editorials for ELLE, have long admired this photo of Sma, this was Mpura, a young maverick in SA fashion ? pic.twitter.com/PfRCJcrJjZ

— Sgaps® (@OfentseZA) August 11, 2021

I’m angry because I’m discovering another creative side of Mpura that has been right under my nose, from styling models, to shooting fashion week for years to doing fashion editorials for ELLE, have long admired this photo of Sma, this was Mpura, a young maverick in SA fashion ? pic.twitter.com/PfRCJcrJjZ

— Sgaps® (@OfentseZA) August 11, 2021

I’m angry because I’m discovering another creative side of Mpura that has been right under my nose, from styling models, to shooting fashion week for years to doing fashion editorials for ELLE, have long admired this photo of Sma, this was Mpura, a young maverick in SA fashion ? pic.twitter.com/PfRCJcrJjZ

— Sgaps® (@OfentseZA) August 11, 2021

I’m angry because I’m discovering another creative side of Mpura that has been right under my nose, from styling models, to shooting fashion week for years to doing fashion editorials for ELLE, have long admired this photo of Sma, this was Mpura, a young maverick in SA fashion ? pic.twitter.com/PfRCJcrJjZ

— Sgaps® (@OfentseZA) August 11, 2021

I’m angry because I’m discovering another creative side of Mpura that has been right under my nose, from styling models, to shooting fashion week for years to doing fashion editorials for ELLE, have long admired this photo of Sma, this was Mpura, a young maverick in SA fashion ? pic.twitter.com/PfRCJcrJjZ

— Sgaps® (@OfentseZA) August 11, 2021

Mpura on his legacy: I’m not here for long, people should feel that I’m still here when I go – VIDEO

As Mzansi continues to mourns the death of amapiano artists Mpura and Killer Kau, rapper Ricky Rick has been sharing tributes to them on his social media.

Taking to Instagram on Tuesday, Ricky Rick posted an old video of Mpura.

The rapper interviewed the amapiano star for Remy Martin SA and it was in that chat that Mpura made a comment about what he wanted his legacy to be.

“I’m not here for a long time but I want when I’m no longer here, people should feel that I’m still here. That’s why I tell you that you need to wake up and drink the coffee [and] stop smelling it,” he said.

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A post shared by Rikhado "Riky Rick" Makhado (@rikyrickworld)

In the interview, Ricky Rick also revealed that he was friends with Mpura on a personal level and had watched him grow in the entertainment industry.

Touching: Mpura’s best friend Mr JazziQ opens up – VIDEO

Everything SA Music shared a clip from an old interview they did with Jazzi Q where he spoke about his relationship with the late Mpura. He described him as an entertainer. “He is an entertainer. He is a clown. It’s just like when you are with your big brother or your baby sister or whatever. That’s like love. It’s not like we don’t speak to one another.”

He added that the two of them met in high school and were both into fashion.

“I met Mpura in high school actually. He was like my junior. He would always come to me and hang with me. Me and Mpura were like fashion bros.”

In the clip shared, Jazzi Q also spoke about how he met Lady Lu. “Lady Du, I met her via my old man’s mate. My old man came to me and told me that I need to help her out. I told him that I would but not now. We met like three or four years back and I called her last year when she was about to quit,” he said in part.

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A post shared by Everything SA Music (@everythingsamusic)

#RipMpura: What you didn’t know about Mpura

Mzansi is mourning the loss of three young Amapiano artists. Killer Kau, Mpura and Khanya Hadebe are believed to have died in a fatal car accident.

The three men were the creatives behind some of the biggest songs in the country.

Mpura is a very popular and professional South African music artist. His works are many, such as Umsebenzi Wethu, Ha Omorata, Ngwana mani, and Fudumeza Amanzi, The Star broke to ae early last year, and since then, his career has been on a rollercoaster.

Here are 5 things you should know about Mpura:

1. He was born and raised in Alexandra.

2. He attended Highlands North Boy’s High.

3. His close friend was Mr. JazziQ, as they also attended the same high school.

4. He has worked with some of the Amapiano stars including Mr. JazziQ, DJ Maphorisa, Kabza De Small, Busta 929, Lady Du, DBN Gogo, and more.

5. As mentioned above, he released and featured in some of the biggest Amapiano tracks of 2021, and 2020.

6. News365.co.za previously published, the star died in a car crash together with Killer Kau and Khanya Hadebe, where they lost their lives, and they were reported to have passed away on the 9th of August 2021.