Bhekizizwe Joseph Shabalala was a South African singer and musician who was the founder and musical director of the choral group Ladysmith Black Mambazo.
13 Facts About Joseph Shabalala
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Bhekizizwe Joseph Shabalala was born on 28 August 1940, in the town of Ladysmith in the KwaZulu-Natal region of South Africa.
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Joseph Shabalala's father died in the late 1940s; Joseph, being the eldest, had to take care of the family.
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Joseph Shabalala left the farm in 1958 to search for work in the nearby city of Durban.
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In 1958 Shabalala discovered an isicathamiya group, The Highlanders, led by his hero Galiyane Hlatshwayo.
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Joseph Shabalala formed his own group the following year 1959, Ezimnyama.
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Joseph Shabalala, helped by his beliefs, persevered, and the group continued; the members now included his brother Jockey, close relatives Albert and Abednego Mazibuko, Russel Mthembu and Jabulani Dubazana and his sons Sibongiseni, Thamsanqa, Thulani and Msizi.
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Joseph Shabalala's hand was wounded in his attempt to protect his wife.
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Joseph Shabalala continued to with his music career, and established the Ladysmith Black Mambazo Foundation, a music academy to promote and teach isicathamiya music to young South African children.
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Tragedy struck again in June 2004 when his brother Ben Joseph Shabalala was shot and killed by an unknown individual whilst driving his two children to school.
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In January 2008, Shabalala announced that his youngest son, Thamsanqa, would take over as leader of Ladysmith Black Mambazo when the time came for Joseph to retire from international touring.
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That time came in early 2014, when Joseph Shabalala sat out a three-month tour, although he continued to sing on special occasions.
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Joseph Shabalala died in Pretoria, South Africa, on 11 February 2020 at the age of 79.