Heart melting memories in remembrance of actress Noxolo Maqashalala

Jub Jub’s hit song Ndikhokhele was on full blast in the background at the memorial service of Noxolo “Noxee” Maqashalala this afternoon.

Several speakers at the Market Theatre in Newtown, Jozi, shared fond memories of their encounters with Noxee, describing her as a woman who loved God and people.

Her friend Zoy Binedell said: “She and I were very close, and every time we spoke we did so for hours on end.

“I’d even forget what I’d initially wanted to talk about. She was bubbly and full of life.

“Whenever I had a problem she always gave me a Bible scripture because she was a believer of God.”

Zoy addressed talk that her family wasn’t there for her: she was discovered five days after her death.

“She sent an SMS to her favourite pastor and me, saying she was fine and needed time to be with God.
“When I found out she’d died I was angry with myself and God because, maybe, I could’ve insisted on seeing her.”

Pastor Khabo Nyikiza, who spoke on behalf of Noxee’s family, told mourners:

“We were saddened by people who asked where her family was.

“There was nothing wrong between Noxee and her family as she loved her space.

“She was a child of God. As her family, we were very proud of her, especially when we saw her on TV.

“She also appeared on Jam Alley. One day she asked me to listen to how she sang and I asked if there wasn’t anything else she could try besides singing.”

The pastor said Noxee loved laughter and uplifted her people in the Eastern Cape.

“There was a time when she left South Africa for Ireland to study psychology for five years.

“But when she came back she went straight into acting and we supported her.

She wasn’t isolated from her family.”

Renowned TV producer Rolie Nikiwe recalled a time when he was in the preproduction of SABC1’s Tsha Tsha, struggling with a Xhosa word and Noxee helped him.

That sparked his interest in working with her.

“I fell in love with her as a creative person. She was 27 when I met her, and gifted,” said Rolie.

He said he understood how unstable the entertainment industry is and felt she was short-changed.

“I don’t think she got the recognition she deserved as an actress because she was gifted.

“I don’t know how we grew apart. But when I called her sometimes she didn’t answer my calls.

“I found out she’d been isolating from people. Mental health is real and we should talk about it. The EC government should help their own.”

Actress Baby Cele Maloka was among industry peers who paid tribute to her via video. Singer Zolani Mahola was in attendance.

Noxee was buried last Friday in the Eastern Cape.

Actress Noxolo Maqashalala laid to rest

Actress Noxolo “Noxee” Maqashalala was laid to rest on Friday, 19 March.

Noxee, who was being mourned by her fans and the rest of Mzansi during the past week, was buried at her home in KwaBhaca, Eastern Cape.

The actress was found dead two weeks ago at her home in Honeydew. According to forensics, she had been dead for a week when she was found.

SABC News reported that film director Zuko Nodada was among the speakers at her funeral. Zuko said he and Noxee worked together for 18 years, starting from Tsha Tsha. He said Noxee’s death is a loss to the industry.

The actress’ family faced backlash for not checking on her for a week, but during an interview with Daily Sun on Tuesday, 16 March, the family spokesperson, Pastor Khabo Nyikiza said there was a reason for that.

“When she was working, two weeks would go by without hearing from her because she was usually busy,” he said.

But the family became worried when she didn’t answer her phone for a week.

“Her brother sent someone to check on her because she wasn’t answering her phone. Unfortunately, they couldn’t enter because the security guard didn’t let them in. Before entering, the security guard must first check with the resident and if the resident doesn’t answer, then the visitor won’t be let in,” he said.

Her memorial service will be held at the Market Theatre on Wednesday, 24 March at 12pm.

Actress Noxolo Maqashalala finally laid to rest

Actress Noxolo “Noxee” Maqashalala was laid to rest on Friday, 19 March.

Noxee, who was being mourned by her fans and the rest of Mzansi during the past week, was buried at her home in KwaBhaca, Eastern Cape.

The actress was found dead two weeks ago at her home in Honeydew.

According to forensics, she had been dead for a week when she was found.

SABC News reported that film director Zuko Nodada was among the speakers at her funeral. Zuko said he and Noxee worked together for 18 years, starting from Tsha Tsha. He said Noxee’s death is a loss to the industry.

The actress’ family faced backlash for not checking on her for a week, but during an interview with the publication on Tuesday, 16 March, the family spokesperson, Pastor Khabo Nyikiza said there was a reason for that.

“When she was working, two weeks would go by without hearing from her because she was usually busy,” he said.

But the family became worried when she didn’t answer her phone for a week.

“Her brother sent someone to check on her because she wasn’t answering her phone. Unfortunately, they couldn’t enter because the security guard didn’t let them in. Before entering, the security guard must first check with the resident and if the resident doesn’t answer, then the visitor won’t be let in,” he said.

Her memorial service will be held at the Market Theatre on Wednesday, 24 March at 12 pm.

Noxolo Maqashalala’s family turned away by security at her complex days before her body was found

Where were they? How did no one find her body sooner? These are some of the questions that were asked when South Africans found out that actress Noxolo Maqashalala had been dead for days before she was found.

But they did try to get in, her family tells us. They were turned away by the security at her complex.

Noxolo (44) was a renowned actress who was found dead in her Honeydew home on Friday and family spokesperson Pastor Khabo Nyikiza says her brother Wandile had tried to reach out to his sister for something and when he could not reach her, he asked his girlfriend to go to her place.

“The girlfriend was turned away by the security because they could not reach her on the phone in order to get an exit code,” he says, adding that at that point no one could have ever imagined that she was not answering because she had died.

Speaking to Drum, Pastor Nyikiza says the family is still struggling to come to terms with her sudden death.

“It was not too unusual to not be able to reach her because of her work and would be often out of touch if she was busy in studio, shooting something. No one thought she was quiet because she was no longer with us.”

He says her body was found laying next to her bed and that as far as they knew, she was not sick.

“This is just a huge blow to all of us,” he says.

She did not have a car, so there was no telling if she was home or not, Pastor Nyikiza says.

Security expert Xolani Williams* says as unfortunate as it is, the security guard did the right thing by not manually opening for Wandile’s girlfriend.

“Even if a person is a frequent visitor or a family member, the security guard has no business opening for that person without the consent of the tenant. Security guards are governed by rules too. These rules come from the Access Control Act as well as rules from the body corporates of the different estates and complexes.

“The duty of the security guard, in this instance, is to ensure the safety of all tenants, and to prohibit any unauthorised entry. Unfortunately even if a mother says they have travelled overnight from the villages and they want to see their child who is a tenant, the security guard cannot open for them without the consent of the tenant, even if they do not have anywhere to sleep. They must go to the nearest police station if they cannot afford to book alternative accommodation,” he says.

Xolani further says security guards cannot simply use their discretion willy nilly.

“I know people think security guards are difficult and they refuse to think outside the rules, but the truth is that their jobs are on the line. Should anything happen to the tenants or their property, the security guard can be held liable or lose their jobs.” They have to be strict and rigid; it is simply the nature of their job.

At that point, the guard did not know if the tenant did not want to see her relatives or if she was avoiding them.

Manually opening for the relatives would have been a breach of the tenant’s privacy. It is a pity that the lady had died, but on that Wednesday, she had already passed, if we go by reports that she had been dead for a week already when she was found.”

Xolani says maybe body corporates will want to revisit their rules, to make provision such instances, but he doubts anything will change.

Angor, one of the biggest residential property management agencies in the country, are also strict on their security policy.

According to their website, they have over 45 000 units under their care, 450 unique body corporates and homeowners associations trust accounts.

“No person shall be permitted to enter the complex without first identifying themselves via the intercom system.”

Noxee, as she was affectionately known will be buried on March 19 in Kwa Bhaca, Eastern Cape, and her memorial service will be at the Market Theatre, Gauteng, at 12pm on March 24.

• Not his real name as he’s not allowed to speak to the media

Family speaks on Noxolo Maqashalala’s cause of death

The family of late actress Noxolo “Noxee” Maqashalala said they’ll miss her kind soul.

The Diamond City actress was found dead in her home in Honeydew, Joburg, on Friday, 12 March.

According to friend and interim family spokesman Senyukele Zibobo, Noxolo was found by people who were delivering a package.

“The delivery people suspected something was not right, so they tried to find a way in. They did and found her dead. When forensics arrived, they said it looked as if she’d been dead for a week,” he said.

Senyukele said the family was still in the dark about the cause of death and waiting on forensics to shed some light.

He said this was a tough time for them as they all loved Noxolo.

“This is very hard because Noxolo was a people’s person. It didn’t matter if she knew you or not – she just loved everyone.

“Losing someone like her is painful for the family and me, as her friend. We’ll miss her and her kindness.”

According to Senyukele, the family will release information about funeral and memorial service at a later stage.

“The family is still trying to deal with this,” said Senyukele.

“They’ve been in a meeting, trying to figure out some things. We’ll share more details during the week.”

Noxolo has featured in popular productions including Tsha Tsha, Gauteng Maboneng, Intersexions and The Kingdom – uKhakhayi.