‘I don’t know where she’s buried’: Zahara’s partner opens up about her family, funeral

Mpho Xaba has candidly spoken about how his partner, late musician Zahara’s family treated him after her passing.

Mpho Xaba, who was late Afropop singer Zahara’s partner, has finally opened up six months after her passing.

The multi-platinum-selling songtress – real name Bulelwa Mkutukana – took her last breath at a Johannesburg hospital on 11 December 2023 after spending almost three weeks in intensive care unit (ICU). She was laid to rest on 23 December in East London.

MPHO XABA SHARES HOW ZAHARA’S FAMILY ALLEGEDLY SIDLINED HIM

In an interview with Sunday World, Xaba opened up about how he was treated by the Mkutukana family.

A month before the Loliwe hitmaker’s passing, he had paid lobolo. However, after her passing, and during the funeral arrangements, ZiMoja reported that the family does not recognise him as her husband (or fiancé) because they he reportedly did not pay full lobolo.

Xaba shared with Sunday World that he was legally obliged to bury Zahara as he had paid lobolo for her, therefore making her his wife. However, in order to protect her honour, he said he refused to take up any legal fights with her family.

“I was completely sidelined on funeral arrangements. [They did] not consult me on anything. Myself and my family were completely sidelined. Our opinions didn’t matter. In fact, we were not allowed to make any opinions,” he said.

The engineer was seen at Zahara’s memorial service in Sandton where he penned a touching final letter to the singer.

“The funeral I attended was the public ceremony at the ICC. I never went to the graveyard. To this day, I don’t know where she is buried because that is how bad things were.

WHAT WENT WRONG?

According to Xaba, his relationship with Zahara’s family changed after her passing because they were under the impression he would take over her estate.

“Her family creates a crisis. They lied, her sisters [Lumka and Bandezwa] lied. …They said I was busy claiming Bulelwa’s properties, I don’t know why. I have three properties, I don’t know why they would think that because Bulelwa’s house was on the verge of getting auctioned again. And I am the one who said ‘let us get out of that situation’,” he said.