Steve Kekana: 4 August 1958 – 1 July 2021

In these dark and uncertain times a legend has left us, another casualty of Covid-19. Those who have grown up to the soft, lilting tones of Steve Kekana are bereft and turn to his music for comfort.

As we play again Take Your Love that he recorded with Nana Coyote, and the melodious song wafts, we remember the legacy of music gifted to us: music that transcended barriers and moved between mbaqanga, pop, soul, R&B and jazz. Professor Azwinndini Muronga has remarked that music is a spiritual representation of physics. Thus Kekana was a physics priest!

In the 1980s, as violence erupted from every corner of South Africa in what is often described as the darkest decade of apartheid, music stood out as a unifier, as a beacon of hope in a seemingly hopeless context. As resistance to the apartheid government intensified, and the National Party fought to repress these movements by any means possible, Kekana’s career was gaining momentum.

Though his music was by no means political, his ability to transcend South Africa’s challenging political climate and emerge as a star in a racially divided context was arguably protest in action. 

As the journalist Sam Mathe wrote, “He was also a go-getter in other fields at a time when the odds were stacked against black people, who were not expected to achieve anything beyond being hewers of wood and drawers of water.”

In the throes of the crisis of the 1980s, Kekana entertained us with his soft ballads, charming smile, and enduring sense of humour. Relatively unheard of at the time, Kekana, who lost his sight at the age of five, broke racial barriers. His popularity on Springbok Radio, a white-run radio station, was symbolic of his stature. This feat was unheard of for a black and disabled singer. Though many black musicians had gained popularity internationally, few had managed to appeal to all South Africans. He was able to unify South Africans, in a sense, with his songs about love and relationships in a country seemingly fuelled by hate and discord.

His legacy of crossing over was a complex one. Although he quickly attracted the attention of the National Party, who drew him into a government-sponsored peace song, his popularity did not wane in the townships, despite his house being set on fire in 1987 by the furious residents of Soweto. In the 1990s, though he continued to make music, he became a prominent voice of talk radio and a lawyer.

As democracy was ushered into the nation in 1994, Kekana began his law degree. Through his legal activism, in the late 1990s and 2000s he supported the rights of artists. He raised issues on royalty collections and policies to ensure that artists were not exploited. He focused on empowering young musicians, passing his baton on through numerous workshops.

He was awarded an honorary doctorate in philosophy by Unisa in 2020. At the time, Kekana said, “I had a dream to obtain a degree from this university, but I did not fathom that it would come in this nature. I am humbled to be chosen to come and represent people living with disabilities. This will convey a strong message to the world that a disability is not a hindrance. Instead, a disability is a tool for self-reinvention and defiance to stereotypes, biases, and underestimation. Having a disability means taking space and contributing to the development of society.”

In an unusual melding of careers, this stellar musician was also an advocate who lectured in law at Unisa.

His fame and music crossed borders, and soon the melodious music of Kekana resounded across the globe. He gifted the world a good melody, exciting rhythms and deeply nurturing lyrics that will live on and be played for years to come.

Like Miriam Makeba, Hugh Masekela, Thandi Klaasen and others, he courageously carried the message of anti-apartheid beyond our borders. His life was a lesson in courage as his contributions and his excellent music saw and imagined a world filled with peace and harmony. This vision wafts through his music and will live on in the hearts of his fans.

In 1980 in Maseru, where Kekana was supposed to perform, a tragedy unfolded when 16 fans were killed in a stampede after police released teargas into the venue. Kekana, as a tribute, recorded the song Kodua Ea Maseru. The song is a mournful lament and a prayer for the victims of that night. It is this lament, which evokes loss, grief and pain, that is perhaps the song for our current deeply sad pandemic period.

There is a profound need for us to record in our history books the life and times of our legendary musicians. It is apt that Kekana has been recognised and accorded a provincial funeral. His life was an inspiration. Our heavens must be on fire with the talents of the musicians that we have lost.

Rest in peace, Bra Steve. The music plays on! DM