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Mbulelo Mpofu, Showbiz Reporter
THE death of Gqom and Kwaito icon Mampintsha was a bitter pill to swallow for South Africa and it has been equally heartbreaking for Bulawayo, where Babes Wodumo’s husband had a huge following and a dear friend in music promoter Marshall “Gesh” Mpofu.
Mampintsha was laid to rest at Durban’s Inkosi Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre yesterday after he breathed his last on Christmas Eve at the age of 40.
In an interview, the Gesh23 Productions boss said he will be remembering his late friend the only way he knows how through playing his music at a gig to celebrate Mampintsha’s life at his Something 23 Tshisanyama joint.
“I grew up with Mampintsha, Danger and Bhar and I vividly remember how close-knit we were as brothers back in South Africa. We have memories together and as I could not make it to the funeral, I will be celebrating his life through a gig where we will only be playing Durban music to honour his life. It is unfortunate that I lost the pictures I had of him and me.
“This tribute to Mampintsha will be held at my food joint at home and various wheel spinners will play Gqom music throughout the night.
Mpofu remembers how Afrotainment, the house that nurtured Mampintsha and his fellow Big Nuz members, Danger and the late R Mashesha came to being.
“There was this other day when we (Mampintsha, Danger, Nico, Noel, Sancho and I) were chilling at Times Square hungry and there was another guy named Keith also known as Why Not who owned taxis. He approached us with a proposal to buy food for us in exchange for us giving it a try in the music sector as he was about to establish a recording label with DJ Tira and that is how Afrotainment came about.
“Mampintsha, just by saying, ‘We are hungry’ sired the idea to establish a record label the size of Afrotainment. Unfortunately, Why Not was shot dead. I remember one day when Mampintsha reminded me of the day Why Not gave them a chance and he pleaded with me to give DJ Maphorisa a chance back in the day when he was still finding his feet in the game. We have lost a very considerate cadre in Mampintsha,” he said.
Gesh, as Marshall is known, is a man of many words and told this publication of the many encounters he had with the Afrotainment family, especially when they toured the city.
“I remember another day when Big Nuz toured if my memory serves me well when we (Richard Choruma, R Mashesha, Danger, Mampintsha and I) were waiting at Rainbow Hotel for a phone call from Babongile Sikhonjwa to tell us to come to the City Hall where Big Nuz was scheduled to perform and we ended up being late. Mampintsha, with his jovial self, would try to appease an angry crowd who threw missiles at him.
“We ended up running away in our pick-up truck with Mampintsha driving while a wasted Richard Choruma was at the back and I would direct Mampintsha back to the hotel. It was hilarious as he constantly asked, ‘Marshall, ikuphi i-hotel’ (Marshall, where is the hotel?). It was scary but fun. It is one of my fondest memories with him,” said Mpofu.
Over the years, Mpofu earned a reputation as a man who can pull the proverbial rabbit out of the hat, a man who could entice hard-to-get artistes from South Africa to Bulawayo. Along the way, he has rubbed shoulders with stars that still have respect for him because of the way he treated them when they were coming up.
“It’s all about being humble and respecting those that are older than you. Recently it was my 40th birthday and Tira sent me a happy birthday message and I told him I’m old but he reminded me that he is older than me. I responded and told him that he has always been my mentor. I respect every human being and these guys, Tira, Oskido, DJ Sox, Danger and Mampitsha are people that were my mates when we were growing up in the streets of Yeoville in South Africa.
Mampintsha and Big Nuz revolutionised the Kwaito and Gqom genres and finding an equal replacement will be hard if not impossible. — @eMKlass_49
Online Reporter