Sibongile Khumalo (1957-2021).

Nomfundo Xaluva (*), now a lecturer at the South African College of Music, University of Cape Town, writes in tribute to the woman who was a “mother” to her and her fellow South African artists.

“One of the traits that stood out the most for me was how she could create an environment where we as young artists could gather in her presence and, in that moment, feel like siblings. Whether at jazz festivals or industry events, we’d congregate around her in the common pursuit of absorbing her wisdom. Who could possibly forget her boisterous laughter that echoed through every room she occupied?”

With thanks to Nomfundo Xaluva and The Conversation