Sfiso Ncwane The Legend Rest In Peace

By Nqobile mafu

Minister of Arts and Culture Nathi Mthethwa says Ncwane’s contribution to the country will continue to be cherished “Sfiso Ncwane grew from humble beginnings into an artist of great stature and great power. He was truly a giant in gospel music even at a tender age,” Mthethwa said on Monday. “He had an abundance of creative spirit. He sang isicathamiya and gospel songs even as a child. He earned the respect of his community by playing at weddings, in churches, at funerals and community events. It was clear from the start that his would be a life of dedication to his art, and devotion through spreading the word of God.” Mthethwa added that Ncwane was a good influence on young people. “In many different ways he was inspirational and influential, giving hope and courage to new generations and changing people’s lives. Our heartfelt condolences go to his wife, Ayanda, his children, his entire family and his fans.” Ncwane passed away on Monday morning after he had kidney failure.

The Boss "Keshi " has died @54

African football is mourning the death of former Nigeria coach and captain Stephen Keshi, has died aged 54. Keshi will be best remembered as a coach but he also had a successful career as a player at club and international level. The football legend passed away early on Wednesday after a suspected heart attack in Benin City, Southern Nigeria, according to his brother and manager Emmanuel Ado. Winning the 1994 Africa Cup of Nations with Nigeria was the highlight of his international playing days. Keshi began his professional career with now-defunct Nigerian side ACB of Lagos and his hometown club New Nigeria Bank of Benin City. His first move abroad was not to Europe but to Ivory Coast where he won the domestic cup with Stade Abidjan in 1985 and 1986, before moving to their local rivals Africa Sports. "Our son, brother, father, father-in-law, brother-in-law, has gone to be with his wife of 35 years Mrs Kate Keshi, who passed on the 9th of December 2015," said Ado in a statement. "Since her death, Keshi has been in mourning. He came back to Nigeria to be with her. He had planned to fly back [to the US] today, before he suffered a cardiac arrest. He has found rest. We thank God for his life."

Ali The Greatest Dies @74

Muhammad Ali was born Cassius Marcellus Clay in Louisville, Kentucky, on 17 January 1942, the son of a sign painter. He was named after a prominent 19th Century abolitionist.

When he was 12, he reported his bicycle had been stolen and told a police officer he was going to "whip" the culprit. The officer, Joe Martin, trained young fighters at a local gym and suggested the youngster learn to box before he challenged the thief. Muhammad Ali, the former world heavyweight champion whose boxing feats, showmanship and political activism made him one of the best-known figures of the 20th century, died on Friday aged 74. Ali, who had long suffered from Parkinson's syndrome which impaired his speech and made the once-graceful athlete almost a prisoner in his own body, died a day after he was admitted to a Phoenix-area hospital with a respiratory ailment. His youthful proclamation of himself as "the greatest" rang true until the end for the millions of people worldwide, who admired him for his courage both inside and outside the ring. "Muhammad Ali was one of the greatest human beings I have ever met," said George Foreman, who lost to Ali in Zaire in a classic 1974 bout known as the "Rumble in the Jungle." "No doubt he was one of the best people to have lived in this day and age. To put him as a boxer is an injustice."

No Tech Faults B4 Taking Off MS804

CAIRO/PARIS, May 24 (Reuters) - The EgyptAir jet that disappeared last week did not show technical problems before taking off from Paris, sources within the Egyptian investigation committee said late on Tuesday. The sources said the plane did not make contact with Egyptian air traffic control, but Egyptian air traffic controllers were able to see it on radar on a border area between Egyptian and Greek airspace known as KUMBI, 260 nautical miles from Cairo. Speaking on condition of anonymity, the sources said the plane disappeared without swerving off radar screens after less than a minute of it entering Egyptian airspace. Air traffic controllers from Greece and Egypt have given differing accounts of the plane's final moments. Egypt's state-owned newspaper Al-Ahram reported on Tuesday that the plane had shown no technical problems before taking off, citing an Aircraft Technical Log signed by its pilot before takeoff.

EgyptAir flight MS804 from Paris to Cairo crashed

An EgyptAir flight from Paris to Cairo made two sharp turns before plunging into the Mediterranean Sea, Greece's defence minister says. Panos Kammenos said the Airbus A320 had "turned 90 degrees left and then a 360-degree turn to the right". It then dropped more than 25,000ft (7,620m) before disappearing from radar, he added. Egypt's civil aviation minister has said the possibility of a terror attack is stronger than technical failure. Sixty-six people were on board Flight MS804, most of them from Egypt or France. A Briton was among the passengers. Greek aviation officials say air traffic controllers spoke to the pilot when he entered Greek airspace and everything appeared normal. They tried to contact him again at 02:27 Cairo time, as the plane was set to enter Egyptian airspace, but "despite repeated calls, the aircraft did not respond". Two minutes later it vanished from radar. Two floating objects have been spotted about 50 miles south-east of where the flight dropped off the radar early on Thursday morning. Egypt's aviation minister said the plane is "more likely" to have been brought down by a terror attack than a technical failure. Those concerned about relatives can call an EgyptAir hotline on 0800 7777 0000 from any landline in Egypt and +202 25989320 from outside Egypt.a>

Jamelia Hits back @ Piers Morgan after Beyonce angry outburst

Dear Piers, I absolutely understand why you didn’t get the Beyoncé album, *newsflash honey*…it wasn’t made for you…and I’m going to need you to be cool with that. Now, I found quite a few of the comments in your piece to be highly “inflammatory & agitating”. As a black woman, i am deeply offended by your lack of due care when writing this article, but i would like to take this opportunity to help you out, and assist you in making the whole “Lemonade thing” a little less bitter for you.

You are a middle aged, British white man, you have no idea, I repeat, NO. IDEA. What it is like to be a Black Woman, and furthermore, the sacrificial, struggle-filled, tongue-biting, mask-wearing fight it is to become a successful one. Let me break this down for you; Beyoncé’s album is not an attack on anyone, it is a celebration of the strength, endurance and potential within black woman-hood. The fact that you are mad/uncomfortable/agitated about it, is evidence enough of how blind you are to the realities of being one. Beyoncé isn’t the only one being unapologetically loud and proud of her blackness, there are many of us (go and type #BlackGirlMagic into instagram/twitter/google), but you didn’t see us or notice the wave. That is why Beyoncé had to do this. On social media, we are celebrating ourselves, in all our glorious forms. We are sporting our – what did you call it? – “Panther-style Afros” (Babe, we’ve had these afros growing out of our heads since the beginning of time) not as political statements, but as celebratory beacons for ourselves, and forthcoming generations. Beyoncé is a mother now, she wasn’t one when you had your little tea party 5 years ago, becoming a mother of a black child changes things. You can be privileged, but along with your own, you begin to become concerned for all the other little black children too. © Provided by Birmingham Mail You start to think, ‘I don’t like what I have had to go through, and I don’t want my child to face the struggles I have, I want to change things’. Seldom are black women in a position to make statements that reverberate around the world and penetrate the peripheral vision of your Piers Morgan’s. Beyoncé did that. You wrote about it. Now you’re trending, and celebrating that fact – LOL. Whether or not you feel the involvement of the grieving mothers to be in poor taste, is irrelevant. The brutality and racism being faced by black people daily is what IS relevant…and Beyoncé has you talking about it, I’d say it’s a job well done. Maybe it’s because I’m a black woman. A black woman who cried tears when I read about Trayvon Martin or upon seeing those awful videos of Eric Garner and Sandra Bland, and then again each time their murderers got away without so much as a slap on the wrist. I get how a privileged middle aged white man from Surrey doesn’t feel that pain, but when I saw Trayvon Martin’s picture I saw my nephew. When I saw Eric Garner, I saw my uncle. When I saw Sandra Bland, I saw my auntie. I get, why you don’t get it. “The New Beyoncé wants to be seen as a black woman”. This line made me laugh out loud! Beyoncé has always been black, she just did what millions of black people feel the need to do to gain success, she made her black palatable to you, which is why you’re such a big fan! Same thing Oprah did, and the Obama’s. This is what black people do, along with working twice as hard to get half as much, we dilute ourselves and our culture, so you accept us. I guess some of us have had enough. Being black is not an affliction. No race should be seen as such. Celebrating our heritage should not be seen as a threat. We just want what you have, fairness and equal potential, and if you don’t give it to us…we’ll fight to get it for our children. Oh, and on the subject of “The Race Card”, there would be no possibility of it being played if we didn’t have it in our hand. I don’t blame you Piers, not at all. I’m sure it’s lovely being you. But the lemons we have been handed, are those of the Black female, and we refuse to see them as less than, we will use them to make the most wonderful Lemonade @NE1Cattywhompus

Papa Wemba “The God Father” died in live concert.

By Nqobile Mafu

Video from the concert shows the artist, who was 66, slumped on the floor as dancers continue to perform, unaware of what is happening. French broadcaster France 24 confirmed the death, quoting his manager. On the African music scene since 1969, Papa Wemba won a world following with his soukous rock music. The Congolese band leader, whose real name was Jules Shungu Webadio, also inspired a cult movement known as the Sapeurs whose members, young men, spend huge amounts of money on designer clothes. In 2004, he was convicted of people-smuggling in France and spent three months in prison. The God father fell ill while performing at 05:30 (05:30 GMT) on Sunday, local media report. Organisers from FEMUA later confirmed Papa Wemba had died during a press conference. His press spokesman Henry Christmas Mbuta Vokia, told local station Radio Okapi: "Around 5:10, time of Abidjan. "He sang the first and the second song. While singing the third song, he collapsed. "I was following the concert live on television. I saw the dancers surround Papa Wemba. I thought it was a scene for the concert. "But then I see people from the Ivorian Red Cross pop up on stage. "Suddenly we cut the signal of the Ivorian television. I tried to talk to call the manager of Papa Wemba abroad, Cornelie. "He told me that Papa Wemba fell during a concert. "I remember ten minutes later, I was told that he is in intensive care. I call thirty minutes after, Cornelie told me that Papa Wemba passed away." May His Soul Rest In Peace

Durban Woman Claims That Beyonce She Is Her Biological Daughter

Could Beyonce actually be a Zulu Woman - Well, a Durban woman certainly thinks Beyonce is her daughter - Given the dance moves, who would dispute this. The woman claims she worked in a hotel in 1984 as a waitress, where she gave birth to the pop star during the apartheid era. The woman claims an American couple offered to adopt her and give her a better life. According to the woman, Beyonce's birth name is Busisiwe, but the American parents changed it to Beyonce. After so many years, the woman has asked for the audience of a her daughter. She says she wants her to come home, and see her ancestors resting place. She claims her heart breaks every time she sees the icon on TV, as she knows it is her daughter. The visibly distraught woman says she does not want her daughter's money, and just wants to love her, and have contact with her daughter. JOHANNESBURG - Comedian Thenjiwe Moseley’s latest video has been trending the whole of Thursday morning. In the video Thenjiwe claims she is Beyonce’s biological mother and wants her to come back home to KwaMashu in Durban.

Zuma 2 Pay Back Nkandla Scandal

South African President Jacob Zuma faced a chorus of calls Friday to step down after a court ruled that he breached the constitution in a judgement that engulfed him in a fresh bout of controversy. Zuma retains widespread loyalty within the ruling African National Congress (ANC) whose lawmakers dominate parliament, but his tarnished image has shaken the party ahead of local elections. The main opposition party, the Democratic Alliance, hailed a damning verdict by the country's top court Thursday that Zuma had violated the constitution by refusing to repay public funds spent on his private home. "This judgement is an immense victory for democracy, for the rule of law, and for the people of South Africa," DA leader Mmusi Maimane told reporters on Friday. "It simply cannot be business as usual when President Zuma has been found to have violated the constitution."

Forget about Bolly/Nollywood

Forget about Hollywood The minister of information, Media and Broadcasting Services Chris Mushowe has described Bulawayo as our own Bulawood because of how art has been produced since the early days of Amakhosi Theatre. The minister was at the premiere of a new play entitled Ben 10 by Christopher Mlalazi. “After watching the play its true that Bulawayo is the home of content so we should not worry about Bollywood or Nollywood because the content is here in Bulawayo. The play was written by German based award winning author, playwright Chris Mlalazi and directed by veteran actor and director Memory Kumbota. It has a cast of eight aspiring and upcoming young actors and actresses. The Ben 10 is a story of a successful business woman in the township who falls in love and gets married to a young man .She assists him to get a good university education, while she herself has a low one. Suddenly, her business hits a spot of trouble; she is bankrupt and also betrayed by somebody very close to her. The minister was over the moon and he encourages other theatre groups to produce more plays and one day they will reach their destiny and archive their goals

The Generations South African most watched soap actor Rapulana Seiphemo is said to be fighting for his life at Milpark hospital after being involved in a collision on the N14 near Diepsloot north of Johannesburg on Sunday night. Two men were killed and four others injured after two vehicles collided on the N14 near the R55, near Diepsloot, North of Johannesburg.

Family spokesperson Mduduzi Sikhakhane says Seiphemo has shown positive signs of progress, which gives the family some hope. "The signs are positive as well as the feedback that we’re getting. All his vital signs are functioning the way they’re supposed to."Rapulana Seiphemo has received widespread support and wishes of recovery after his involvement in a serious car accident

From Mhlanga 2 Mbambo

Cont Mhlanga is a name associated with arts, creativity and growth and one cannot talk of the Zimbabwean arts scene without Mhlanga’s name. The Godfather of Arts, Mhlanga has published three books and wrote more than 20 plays among them The Good President, The End, Sinjalo, Children on Fire, Games and Bombs, The Members, Vikela and has directed Bamqgibela Ephila and Omunye Umngcwabo The arts guru, who founded Amakhosi Cultural Centre in 1982, decided to retire from all work associated with Amakhosi. He has moved to his rural home Lupane, saying it was time to give new blood a chance. “I decided to rest from arts activities and by doing so, I have relocated to my rural area in Lupane. There is fresh air here and off the pressures of the big city. I am taking my time out and learning new things here,” he said. Mhlanga said young people have more opportunities of making it big in the arts industry. “We started arts before it became an industry. It is now a big industry and many people are surviving out of it,” he said. Ngiyesabanews has reached Thulani “Mbambo” Khumalo the new programmes manager over the phone and his so excited to take the new challenge. “ I am capable to do anything as I was groomed by Malume referring to Cont Mhlanga. He also stated that it has been a long journey and his dream has final come. Mbambo once relocated to South Africa to find greener pasture but things didn’t go according to his plan. “I am back with a bang and the arts at Amakhosi Township will rise again and will take it to another level” said Mbambo. “Mbambo is a good person his one my best student I have worked with” said Cont Mhlanga. It is understood that he will be there for any advice as his philosophy in arts will stay on.

Eritrean Hoax story

Kenyans have received the news of mandatory polygamy by men in Eritrea with a mix of bewilderment and excitement. Activists have posted a memo allegedly by the Government of Eritrea asking men to marry at least two wives due to acute shortage of men occasioned by casualties during the civil war with Ethiopia, which has been shared across Africa, In the statement written in Arabic assures of government support to the polygamous marriages. The activists translate it thus, "Based on the law of God in polygamy, and given the circumstances in which the country is experiencing in terms of men shortage, the Eritrean department of Religious Affairs has decided on the following .” First that every man shall marry at least two women and the man who refuses to do so shall be subjected to life imprisonment with hard labour. According to ngiyesabanews findings the story was a prank and this has upset Eritrean officials. Some men have commented on social media such as Facebook and Twitter that they are ready to travel to Eritrea to find a new wife.

All this started by Crazy Monday publishers, which is well known for its focus on scandalous stories and gossip as part of an attempt to attract a younger readership, says Mathias Muindi from the BBC's media monitoring service.