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Anneline sent on journey to paradise
Melanie Peters. The Sunday Independent, 25 August 2002. Republished courtesy of Independent Newspapers (Pty) Ltd.
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Singer Anneline Malebo's funeral in Gugulethu on Saturday was not a mournful affair: family, friends and musicians celebrated her life with music, memories and laughter.
Malebo, 48, died of HIV/AIDS in Cape Town last week. She is believed to have contracted HIV/AIDS when she was raped at a party in Johannesburg two years ago. When her health deteriorated in Johannesburg, she moved to Cape Town and lived with relatives in Gugulethu.
Malebo was a member of the group Joy, which recorded the hit "Paradise Road". The song was associated with the 1976 Soweto uprising and became an anthem of hope for many South Africans.
Thoko Ndlozi, a friend and fellow member of Joy, related how they had met in Johannesburg in 1975. "She was a bundle of talent and I could speak volumes about her, but if she was standing here today she would say 'there are better days before us'." These were the words Malebo sang in the hit song. As Ndlozi left the stage, "Paradise Road" was played.
Tsidii Le Loka, a singer, actress and songwriter who lives in New York and who worked with Malebo in the music group Shadiii, said Malebo had been her mentor and had taught her everything she knew.
"It was a real privilege. She gave generously. She was not only an artist but an incredible human being. You get people who give but not the way she did. I will not speak of her in the past tense because I know she is here today.
"I know that this is by no means the end, but the beginning of a new phase of life both for Anneline and the power and courage she so elegantly demonstrated with her life and influence.
"We must be determined, more than ever, that she speaks loudly, for her spirit to resound to the skies in song. As she sang 'There are better days before us, and the burning bridge behind us, and a woman waiting weeping'.
"She will weep no more as we pledge our hearts to a new commitment in her and many others' names who are confronting this devastating disease, AIDS."
Legendary jazz singer Thandi Klaasen's speech in Xhosa had people laughing. She said that was how Malebo would have wanted it to be. She finished off with a performance of Frank Sinatra's ballad hit "I Did It My Way".
Malebo's musical career started at the age of 12, when she would sing on street corners to supplement her family's income. She dropped out of school and left Cape Town for Johannesburg in search of her dream. She performed with Hugh Masekela, Miriam Makeba, Letta Mbuli and many others.
Malebo teamed up with Ndlozi and Felicia Marion in 1977 to form Joy. They became the top-selling women's group in the country. They were also the first black group to be nominated for the prestigious Sarie Awards in 1979 and won the International Music Award the same year.
She is survived by her sons Clive and Linden and her daughters Anna-Suenna and Naledi. |
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