|
|
 |
'A great heart has ceased to beat'
Ndivhuwo Khangale. 15 January 2004. The Star. Republished courtesy of Independent Newspapers (Pty) Ltd.
|
Jocular and much-admired Yfm deejay Fana Khaba, who announced his HIV-positive status several months ago, has died.
Khabzela, 36, as he was affectionately known, died at Johannesburg Hospital on Wednesday afternoon. He was taken there last month when his health deteriorated.
Yfm station manager Greg Maloka said Khabzela's death was a big loss to the station and its listeners.
Khabzela had been living at his parents' home in Emndeni, Soweto, where his family were taking care of him, since he publicly announced his HIV-positive status on radio in May last year.
During the announcement - in a recorded message which was played to Yfm listeners - Khabzela said he had been feeling ill for a long time and his health had deteriorated to the point that he was barely able to walk.
Yfm spokesperson Dineo Mahloele said on Wednesday that neither doctors nor traditional healers had been able to help him and that he had decided to confront his fears and have an HIV test - and tested positive.
A saddened Maloka added: "Fana is a prime example of someone who made something out of his life from nothing, and whom we should all strive to emulate."
Health Department spokesperson Sibani Mngadi said his death was a major loss to South Africa's youth and the country as a whole.
"On behalf of the Minister of Health, Manto Tshabalala-Msimang, we would like to express our deepest condolences to his family, friends, listeners and colleagues at Yfm."
Mngadi said Khaba's rise against the odds to become one of the most popular deejays in the country was a great motivation for the youth.
The ANC Youth League said it was deeply saddened. "A great heart has ceased to beat," the ANCYL said. "(He was) one of the greatest youth icons of our time," said league president Malusi Gigaba. "Khabzela epitomised all the social struggles our youth are waging, as well as, above all else, the triumph of the human spirit," he said.
"His voice can still be heard daring the youth to study, to work hard, to fight crime and to seize the opportunities of our democracy".
Khaba is survived by his four children, his mother, three sisters and two brothers. |
| Was this article helpful to you? |
 ?100%???? ?0%
|
|
Back
|
|
|
|
