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Simphiwe Ngema keeps going by keeping Dumi Masilela’s legacy alive

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Simphiwe Ngema. Picture: Simphiwe Ngema/Instagram
Simphiwe Ngema. Picture: Simphiwe Ngema/Instagram

More than a year after Dumi Masilela’s death, his wife, actress and businesswoman Simphiwe Ngema, is not ready to move on.

“At the moment I don’t think I am the point where I feel like I can move on or think about the future or about love. I am just focusing on my day-to-day healing and I am not putting pressure on myself on finding love again and having kids,” she said.

Instead, Ngema wanted to keep his legacy alive by continuing in his footsteps.

The former Rhythm City actor was killed in an attempted hijacking in Tembisa in August last year.

Ngema recently released Masilela’s posthumous single titled Uphushiwe, a love song that he had composed for their wedding and sang on their traditional wedding day in May last year. The song speaks about paying lobola and the bride being part of the groom’s family.

Even though it hasn’t been officially released to the public, she said people already love it.

“People are loving it … they are already asking where they can get it. They are excited to have the song, so it is generally well received.”

Ngema said she wants to make sure she finishes the project that her late husband was working on because “this song brings back great memories”.

She said the timing of the release had nothing to do with anything.

“It is not about a specific time, it literally was just about finishing the music because it was the last thing he recorded. For me it was about finishing his project and releasing it when it is done.”

Ngema said she was working on a full album of 11 songs and should be completed by next month.

She said Masilela did almost everything on his music – from writing the songs to producing them – therefore she would be taking over where he left off and would be managing the whole process with the help of Hamilton Dlamini and Bobo Jay Nzima.

Ngema said her family had played a big role in making sure that she stayed strong and kept going.

“Family, love and the support that I got. I have also learnt how to dream again because after losing Dumi I lost all hope. I had to learn how to dream, how to love and how to live because I felt like everything was pointless. Prayer, faith and God also played a role,” said Ngema.

However, she hadn’t healed.

“You do not heal, you just learn how to live with the burden.”

She said even though sometimes it felt like her husband died yesterday, the pain was getting easier.

“He was my best friend … From the moment I open my eyes I think of him because we slept on the same bed. When I am eating I think of him; when I am taking bath. We spent the whole time together, we kind of took the whole becoming one thing to the next level, we literally became one person,” she laughed.

Ngema said she was focusing on her acting career and finding her feet again.

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