Bulelwa Mkutukana, better known by her stage name Zahara, was an award-winning Afro-pop singer from South Africa. Her minister of culture made the announcement today.
According to Sports, Arts, and Culture Minister Zizi Kodwa, the family had been receiving government assistance “for some time” while she was in the hospital, allegedly due to liver issues.
2011 saw the singer become well-known thanks to her widely acclaimed album Loliwe in Africa.
Zahara spoke up about her struggle with alcoholism in 2019.
The musician’s family announced last month that she had been admitted to the hospital and urged South Africans to pray for her.
At the age of 36, she passed unexpectedly in a Johannesburg hospital on Monday night, according to the state-run SABC news website.
Although her family has not yet issued an official statement, supporters have been lamenting and reminiscing on social media.
“Zahara and her guitar made an incredible and lasting impact in South African music,” Mr. Kodwa wrote on the X platform (previously called Twitter).
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A user on X said, “She left us with such beautiful music,”
Zahara, who put out five albums, took home numerous national and international honors. She was listed as one of the BBC’s 100 Women in 2020.
The singer-songwriter also disclosed that she had experienced violence against women in South Africa, using her position to raise awareness of the issue.
In an interview with a local radio station last year, Zahara stated that her music was meant to console shattered hearts rather than win praise.
