The Maskandi community is coming together to help complete the home that late Maskandi star Scebi Dlamini, popularly known as Inkos’yamagcokama, was building before his sudden death, with fellow musician Khuzani Mpungose calling on artists, fans, businesses and the public to help turn the unfinished house into a lasting legacy.
Dlamini, 29, was killed in a horrific car crash in Richards Bay, KwaZulu-Natal, on Sunday, 9 August, while travelling to a performance. The KwaZulu-Natal Department of Transport confirmed that he succumbed to his injuries at the scene. Another person died in the crash, while two others were taken to hospital. Dlamini’s colleague and fellow member of his performance team, Sipho “Gupta” Mchunu, was also killed in the accident. The circumstances surrounding the crash are being investigated by the SAPS Accident Unit.
Just days after his funeral, the focus has shifted to one of the dreams Dlamini left behind: a double-storey home in Msinga, KwaZulu-Natal, which he was building close to his parents’ house.
According to reports from his family, Dlamini was putting the finishing touches to the property and was living with his fiancée, Mbali Mthembu, while the house was being completed. The couple were preparing to get married and planned to start their married life in the new home.
Khuzani has now appealed to the wider Maskandi fraternity to help ensure that the house is completed.
In a message shared alongside the fundraising poster, by Maskandi artist Khuzani Mpungose said: “Sizwe sakithi, isifiso somuntu asingafi uma yena engasekho,” meaning, “People of my nation, a person’s dream does not die when they are gone.”
He went on to ask anyone willing to contribute towards completing Scebi’s home to use the family’s designated account. Khuzani also made a personal pledge, asking that money he would have earned from this year’s Impucuzeko event be paid directly into the account intended for the construction.
He further asked people making contributions to use their names as payment references so that the family can keep track of those who have supported the project.
Khuzani also extended the appeal beyond financial donations, calling on companies that can provide building materials, furniture and other items required to complete the property to come forward and assist.
The appeal has turned Dlamini’s unfinished home into a symbol of the life he was still building when tragedy struck.
Dlamini, whose full name is reported as Scebi Dlamini, became one of the recognisable young voices in modern Maskandi through his distinctive guitar-driven sound, high-pitched vocals and songs rooted in everyday experiences and Zulu culture. His breakthrough repertoire included “Kungcono Ngife”, “Asenzele Bona”, “Ngixolele”, “Dear Ex Yami”, “Ifoni” and “Kuyazenzakalela”.
He released several projects during his career, including Advantage, Johnnie Walker, First Class, TRUE COLOURS and Ride Or Die. His music continued to be released in the months before his death, with Apple Music listing “ISIKO LETHU” as a June 2026 release.
His contribution to Maskandi was recognised with a Best Maskandi Artist award at the South African Traditional Music Achievement Awards, while his music and collaborations helped him build a substantial following beyond KwaZulu-Natal.
His sudden death came at a time when his personal and professional life appeared to be entering an important new chapter. His brother Nduduzo said that Dlamini had phoned him in June after having a disturbing dream about his own death. At the time, he was focused on finishing his house and preparing for his wedding to Mthembu.
Dlamini was laid to rest in Msinga on Saturday, 15 August, following a funeral service at Mzisho Stadium attended by family, friends, fans and some of the biggest names in South African music, including Khuzani Mpungose, Big Zulu, Mthandeni SK, Shwi NoMtekhala, Menzi, Thokozani Langa and L’vovo.
Thousands of Maskandi supporters gathered to celebrate his life, with musicians performing songs associated with him and paying tribute to an artist whose career was cut short while he was still building his future.
Now, as the Maskandi fraternity continues to mourn, the campaign to complete Scebi’s home is giving those who knew and loved him a way to honour the dreams he could not finish himself.
For Khuzani and those rallying behind the initiative, completing the house is about more than bricks, furniture and building materials. It is about finishing something Scebi started and ensuring that the home he envisioned for his family does not remain an unfinished reminder of a life tragically cut short.
