Diliza mourns 10-year-old sister

Bruce Ndlovu
Only a month after making his way back to Zimbabwe for the annual Kalawa Homecoming, South Africa-based kwaito star Diliza this week made the trek back home for a sombre occasion, as he came to bury his younger sister who passed away last week.

Although the official cause of death of Dilizaa��s 10-year-old sister, Mpho a�?Pinkya�? Ncube was listed as brain trauma or cerebral cancer, the kwaito star believes that his younger sister could have fallen victim of witchcraft, as the condition is rare for one so young.

Mpho suffered a stroke a few weeks ago and had been battling with her health for a few months. Stroke is brain damage that occurs secondary to the blockage or breakage of blood vessels in the brain. The causes of stroke in children are many and often not well understood as its causes are different from those that afflict adults.

The kwaito musiciana��s suspicions of black magic stem from the fact that Mpho had never shown signs of any illness prior to her sudden stroke. This, coupled with the fact that she was an exemplary student at school which made her a possible target for someone bearing ill-intentions, arouses the kwaito lyricista��s suspicions.

a�?I really dona��t want to lie, her passing has hit me hard. This really pains me a lot. She was always first in class and she suffered the stroke right before she was about to write her exams which is why I believe that this is the work of some evil people,a�? he said.

Diliza said that the family was finding it hard to cope with her passing, thus he had to get over his grief to help them through a tough time as he was the one everyone in the family looked up to.

The loss of his sibling could not have come at a more inappropriate time for Diliza, who had to delay going back to South Africa with other Kalawa stable mates as he tended to her a few weeks before she passed way.

The next few months are expected to be crucial for the kwaito wordsmith, as he tries to build on the momentum of Stiffa��s festive season hit, Umcimbi.

a�?I have to be strong and be a man. I really have no choice in this at all because this is where I have to show my mettle as a man in the family,a�? he said.

Although there were suspicions of foul play, Diliza said that they would not be seeking vengeance against anyone as it went against the familya��s beliefs. He said that consulting traditional healers to find out the truth behind Mphoa��s passing was also out of the question.

a�?This is where the matter ends for us. We will not be taking that route because wea��re a Christian family and consulting traditional healers would be going against our beliefs. We were raised in the SDA so we will leave things as they are,a�? he said.

Mpho, a Grade 6 pupil at Fusi Primary School, was buried on Wednesday at West Park Cemetery.