Trompies member Eugene Mthethwa Reveals What Caused The Accident That Claimed Emmanuel ‘Mjokes’ Matsane’s Life

On Sunday, 23 May, the South African music fraternity suffered a huge blow when it lost Trompies member, Emmanuel ‘Mjokes’ Matsane.

Mjokes was one of the five members of the legendary Kwaito group that gave Mzansi hit after hit in the late 90s and early 2000s. He was also the co-director at Kalawa Jazmee – a record label that has produced amazing talent.

According to a statement by the record label, the musician lost his life in a car accident shortly after a performance with the group.

It is with regret and sadness to announce that our Kalawa Jazmee co-director and the fifth member of Trompies, Emmanuel Mojalefa Matsane popularly known as Mjokes passed away in a car accident. The accident happened in the early hours of this morning after their performance with Trompies.

” All we are left with is your legacy and it shall live on! Allow us to reflect on such beautiful memories that made the world dance,” the Kalawa Jazmee statement read.

As messages of condolences and tributes started pouring in, news outlets interviewed group members and fellow label mates who spoke fondly about the late musician.

In a clip by Newzroom Afrika on Twitter, fellow member Eugene Mthethwa paid tribute to his friend and colleague.

Mthethwa explained the pain of finding out on social media that his friend was no more, adding that at first he thought it was a hoax.

“As you would know that these things, they come as a shock and unfortunately we get to know about such things through social media. I got woken up this morning by somebody who was saying “RIP Mjokes” on social media, and I thought they were joking. I then called his phone and unfortunately his phone was unanswered, until I called his wife and the wife confirmed that indeed Mjokes is no more. So, it’s a sad day for us, after such a performance…” Mthethwa said.

Mthethwa described the late artist as a leader who was gifted, especially when the group needed a lead singer when recording some of their hits including ‘Sweety Lavo’. He added that there was never a dull moment when Mjokes around because he was a very funny person, hence his nickname.

An emotional Mthethwa also revealed that one of the causes of the accident that took Mjokes’ life was drunken driving. He explained that he had reprimanded some of the members who were drunk the night before when they were performing in Meadowlands.

“One of the things that caused the accident is drinking and driving, I am not going to beat about the bush.

“And I was very angry yesterday when I was talking to them to say “look guys, we are performing in Meadowlands and we honour people from Meadowlands. We need to give them the best performance. We can’t be drunk. You can’t be drunk the way you are, infact you can’t be drinking this much when we are still going on stage. We always respect our fans. This is not the Trompies that I know.” I was so angry yesterday that I even left before the event closed its doors because I was so angry even after the performance.

“This thing of drinking and driving it is a problem and it has taken away one of our members,” Mthethwa said.

Watch the clip below.