WeeklySA_AdminLEGEND:Mbadu and lifetime group members performed alongside Quincy Jones, Ray Charles and Michael Jackson
By Gugu Sibiya
Nobesuthu Mbadu (76) of the legendary Mahotella Queens trio, who passed away on Monday night at Chris Hani Baragwanath hospital, in Soweto, Johannesburg, had been ill for a while.
Mbadu’s grave illness had led to her retirement in 2017. Things got worse early this year as she became a regular in hospital and doctors’ rooms. She is said to have succumbed to kidney complications.
Sis Nobesuthu, as she was affectionately known, was one part of a trio known as the Queens, short for Mahotella Queens, together with Hilda Tloubatla and Mildred Manxola. They joined Simon Mahlathini Nkabinde to form one of the most popular and tenacious outfit of the 70s.
They toured all over the country and continent, building a large, loyal fan base, especially around the mines and townships. Even the late Zambian president Kenneth Kaunda was rumoured to be one of their greatest fans.
Through their record company Gallo, they made a breakthrough tour to Europe three decades ago. Their act blew the audience away, creating a demand for their unique African sounds that managed to woo Americans too. They soon became an essential act on overseas stages, which turned them into the globe-trotters.
They’ve been honoured with citizenships of New Orleans in the USA and Paris in France. Among luminaries they had the privilege to perform with are Quincy Jones, Sammy Davies Jnr, Michael Jackson and Ray Charles.
Adding her voice to that of grieving fans worldwide, Amanda Nkosi said she was grief-stricken over Mbadu’s passing. The talented, young singer and fellow Queen who accepted the baton from her mentor, said she was lucky to have known her.
“What I loved about umam Nobesuthu was her warm, loving and welcoming personality. I’ve known her since 2013, but it felt like forever. From the day they recruited me until now, she was a mother to me.
“She asked me to swap places with her. I was to sing soprano as she took my place at alto. She was very patient training me to adapt my range until I reached my potential. By the time she retired in 2017, she had taught me everything I needed to be a proud Queen.
“During our travels overseas, if there was a need, I used to share the room with her. I really got to know her and loved all the stories since the group’s inception. That’s where I discovered that she’s a free spirit. She was so hilarious I would laugh myself sick. As funny as she was, she remained extremely shy in public.
“I’ll miss her generosity, enjoyment of life, the shopaholic she was, her style and beautiful clothes. I will cherish my first fanny pack because she bought it for me. It reminds me of how she loved them, she’d bought all colours under the sun. Who could forget that smile,” she says, finally allowing the tears to flow.
Original Queen member, Hilda Tloubatla is just as distraught. “Things started going south for Nobesuthu, healthwise in 2017. One minute she was complaining about her leg and arthritis wreaking havoc with her body. Then it was diabetes rearing its ugly self and finally hypertension. That’s when she hung her mic, which was extremely painful to me.
“Nobesuthu’s passing just brings back the pain of the passing of all other band members and retirement due to ill-health. We were a family, loved and respected each other. Nobesuthu, Mildred and myself are friends and sisters. We didn’t give up after all that, and, in 1987, we picked ourselves up and carried on as the Queens.
“In all this pain, I know Nobesuthu is at peace. I’ll miss her voice on stage and the way she was. We thank God for her life and ours. May her soul rest in peace,” said the drained singer.
An incosolable Mildred Manxola said her passing was still hard to swallow. “I know she was sick, she’s been in and out of hospital but letting go is not easy.
Her niece took her home to Chesterville in Durban, but even there she was sick. I think she knew she was going, so she chose to come back to her house.
“We go back a long way. She was 19 years old and I was 20 when we all started Queens with Mahlathini. There was a time when we were not getting paid or when we were harassed by apartheid policemen. “Our passion and love for the craft and each other, kept us going. I don’t know where I’d be without the girls. I can’t single one thing, but I have so many good memories with her. I was the first one to get sick and retire in 2013, but she and Hilda were there for me.
I thank God for our buying houses in Vosloorus. We are sisters, indeed, that’s why it really hurts” she says, her voice betraying the depth of anguished emotion.
