News24 | Soul tribute: Nomabotwe’s Siyakukhumbula – An Ode to Nomhle Nkonyeni turns grief to legacy

Award-winning Afrosoul artist Nomabotwe Mtimkulu officially released Siyakukhumbula – An Ode to Nomhle Nkonyeni, a personal musical tribute to the late South African theatre legend.

The song was born from an unexpected encounter at the Mandela Bay Theatre.

The song, shaped over three years through creative sessions with Nkonyeni at her New Brighton home, was released on what would have been Mama Nomhle’s birthday.

There are songs you write and songs that find you. For Nomabotwe, Siyakukhumbula was never planned. It was provoked and beautifully so.

During a performance at the Mandela Bay Theatre Complex, Nomabotwe did what artists sometimes do in the presence of greatness: she went off-script.

Mid-show, she broke into an impromptu tribute to Winnie Madikizela‑Mandela. What she didn’t anticipate was the audience's reaction, which included South African theatre royalty Nomhle Nkonyeni.

Mama Nomhle, never one to hold her tongue, openly and playfully protested the unsolicited homage, sparking laughter across the room and a curiosity that neither woman could ignore.

This eccentric, unscripted exchange on stage marked the true beginning of Nomabotwe and Nkonyeni's creative partnership, setting the stage for what was to follow.

For three years, Nomabotwe visited Nkonyeni's home in New Brighton, Gqeberha. The celebrated actor had returned to live among her people. In the quiet of her sitting room on historic Mendi Road, two women from the same community sat together and built something meaningful.

"Sis Hlehle, as she was fondly known, had just settled back in Gqeberha. She lived among her people in New Brighton," Nomabotwe recalls warmly.

"We had sessions at her place and took pictures and audiovisuals too. Whenever she saw me around Mendi Road, she would proudly tell anyone within earshot: I was writing a song about her. It was rewarding and fulfilling to work on this project."

As a co-architect, Nkonyeni was consulted at every stage of the song's development, her voice, memory, and spirit woven into every layer. For an actor who had spent over five decades shaping South African stories, it was fitting that her final artistic chapter would be crafted with the same deliberate care she brought to her craft, connecting her legacy to each note.

Nkonyeni died in 2019, before the song was completed; she never heard the finished version of the tribute she had helped build.

For Nomabotwe, the loss was profound, but it did not silence the project. If anything, it deepened its purpose.

In April, Nomabotwe publicly released Siyakukhumbula. She chose celebrati