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Loliwe hitmaker Zahara dies at 36 in South Africa

Bulelwa Mkutukana popularly known as Zahara. (Photo: Zizi Kodwa)

By Dennis Tarus | 12 Dec 2023

The songbird had been receiving treatment for liver problems that had afflicted her for the past two weeks.

Multi-award-winning musician Bulelwa Mkutukana popularly known as Zahara has passed away.

The Minister of Arts and Culture of South Africa, Zizi Kodwa, officially confirmed the passing of the renowned singer.

The popular musician died at a Johannesburg hospital on Monday night.

On social media X, Kodwa said he was saddened by the passing of Zahara.

"My deepest condolences to the Mkutukana family and the South African music industry. The government has been with the family for some time now. Zahara and her guitar made an incredible and lasting impact on South African music," he said.

The songbird had been receiving treatment for liver problems that had afflicted her for the past two weeks.

Her debut album Loliwe was released in 2011. The first issue sold out within 72 hours, and 19 days later, the album reached double platinum status in South Africa by surpassing the 100,000 sales mark.

This made her the second musician after Brenda Fassie, who was also a Xhosa native, to reach this figure in such record time.

Her second album, Phendula (2013), produced three chart-topping singles "Phendula", "Impilo", and "Stay".

Zahara's third album, Country Girl (2015), was certified triple platinum. Following her departure from TS Records, she signed a record deal with Warner Music in 2017.

Her fourth album, Mgodi (2017), was her best-selling album and was certified platinum.

Her fifth album, Nqaba Yam (2021), peaked at number 1 on iTunes while her her sixth album Mgodi reached gold status in the first six hours of its release.

Her accolades include 17 South African Music Awards, three Metro FM Awards, and one Nigeria Entertainment Award.

Zahara was on the 2020 list of the BBC's 100 Women. She appeared as a guest judge on the seventeenth season of Idols South Africa in 2021.