The Ngema family has since addressed a letter to the Director General: Dear Dr. LO Mkhize saying they have been kept in the dark about the burial arrangements of the late Dr Mbongeni Ngema who passed on after a car crash on 27 December 2023.
The Ngema family have since expressed their dissatisfaction in the form of a letter. “This letter serves as a formal statement from Ngema family (eMfana, eNhlwathi, Hlabisa), regarding the matter of the deceased Baba Dr. Mbongeni Ngema.” The family says. “Dr. Mbongeni Ngema’s home is, the entire family (KwaNgema, eMfana) is not pleased with how the matter has been handled with regards to the passing of Dr. Mbongeni Ngema. As the family we have not received clear formal communication from the family spokesperson Mr. Nhlanhla Ngema, since the 27th of December 2023 to the 04th of January 2024. To this date the family knows nothing formally about the memorial service which was supposed to be held at KwaNgema eMfana Homestead (04/01/2024) as discussed in a brief meeting that was held on Sunday (31/12/2023),” the letter reads. “As a result, the family together with the community, there has been a huge negative stress that has been caused by the lack of transparency.”
Mourners at eNhlwathi, eMfana Kwa-Ngema Image: Buzz Life News
The family goes on to say, “Memorial Service in eNhlwathi, eMfana Kwa-Ngema during the funeral arrangements meeting, one of the things that came up was that there will be a memorial service that will be held here Ekhaya eMfana at Dr. Mbongeni Ngema’s home, where there will be all necessary services provided by the Provincial Government that includes tent, catering, and all that goes with it,” the letter reds. “It is with disappointment that none of that was delivered in eMfana, people have flooded the home in KwaNgema, where only the Police have come to monitor the situation as instructed by Brigadier Mhlongo under Ezibayeni SAPS, but there is no tent for shelter, no ablution facilities, no catering services for the people who have come to the memorial service. This has caused great distress and concern in the family (eMfana) and the entire mourners. In all of that there was no concrete and formal communication, and feedback of all meetings held in Durban after there was a first meeting in KwaNgema eMfana on 31st of December 2023.”
Police guarding the Ngema homestead Image: Buzz Life News
According to the letter, the family spokesperson has not come forward to give the final report to the family on what went wrong with all the preparations that was previously discussed with the family. “Views from KwaNgema eMfana Family in eNhlwathi Ngema family is a big family with elders remaining in eMfana, they themselves do not know anything about the burial of Dr. Mbongeni Ngema to this day, including the cultural practice that is supposed to be done where the family elders should do “Ukumlanda ngehlahla” from where he passed away, and come back home, there supposed to be “Ukugezwa,” and “ukugezwa inxeba, nokuvalwa kwengozi”. The family says they are very much concerned with who and how decisions were taken in Ngema family, EMfana, Mission Area, Enhlwathi, Hlabisa on 04 January 2024. “A place that we do not even know because Dr. Mbongeni Ngema has not declared to the family that he had another home in Durban, Queensburg. The family says, “Dr. Mbongeni Ngema would come home every time he wants to do ancestral consultation, Ngema would consult with Induna, whenever he wanted to do a ceremony home, those things pointed that eMfana is his home, eMfana KwaNgema home that was not included in the funeral arrangements.” The community have come to mourn with his family and but told them that there would be a memorial service. “The community leaders feels that we lied to the community of eNhlwathi, Mission Area. As a family of eMfana eNhlwathi we strongly believe that if there was any conflicts and misunderstandings, we believe there should have been a way of both parties sitting down as family to discuss the solution prior to the final decision. Lastly, the family disputes what the family spokesperson has said in the media where he said “uNgema uzobekwa e Heroes Acres, umndeni uvumelene ngalokho and ba-right bonke, all the parties that are in the disagreements”. The letter goes on to says that, “We as the eMfana kwaNgema family, understand that Dr. Mbongeni Ngema lived his life through his work, Ngema produced even a song which we align with it so much, it is on his YouTube channel as “Mbongeni Ngema and Boabab Sisters-Mhla Ngifayo “, where Dr. Mbongeni Ngema says “Ngosuku engofa ngalo ningisize nibongigcwaba eMfana kwaNgema eNhlwathi……….ningisize ningakushintsi lokho noma ngabe ngingasekho kodwa ningakushintshi lokho”. As a family we want to highlight that uBaba uNhlanhla Ngema we love him, he is our father and our head after all, we respect him a great deal, but the way things have h
Bongi Sikelo 