Sibongile Khumalo

Sibongile Khumalo was a South African jazz singer and opera vocalist. She died on 28 January 2021 at the age of 63.

Under the guidance of her father, music professor and historian Khabi Mngoma, Sibongile Khumalo became a soulful, multi-dimensional musician. Music academic and classically trained, Khumalo’s finesse is in how she moves from genre to genre, be it South African indigenous music to opera and jazz, with precision and grace. She sung in major venues not only in South Africa but all over the world, including the Royal Albert Hall, the Royal Festival Hall, the Barbican Centre, the Kennedy Centre in Washington DC and Ronnie Scott’s in London. Since her debut album 'Ancient Evenings' in 1996, she released several more albums, including 'Live At the Market Theatre' (1998), 'Immortal Secrets' (2000), and 'Quest' (2002), picking up numerous SAMAs along the way.

Besides her musical talent she was also a prominent academic. She held degrees from the Universities of Zululand and Witwatersrand, as well as a Higher Diploma in Personnel Management. She taught at the Federated Union of Black Arts (FUBA) and the Funda Arts Centre, worked with the Madimba Institute of African Music and sat on the board of Opera Africa and the National Arts Festival (NAF). In 2007 she launched her own label, Magnolia Vision Records. In 2013 she led the performance of 'Credo', a new multimedia oratorio honouring The Freedom Charter. Khumalo was a member of the board of directors of SAMRO, chairman of the Performers Organisation of South Africa (POSA) and the South African Business Women’s Association (SABWA).