Grammy-nominated musician Zakes Bantwini, real name Zakhele Madida is mourning the death of his father, Sihlangusihle Jeffrey Khanyile.
The siblings together with the family, have asked the public for prayers and privacy during this difficult time.
Tributes have also been pouring from fans and friends from the industry to comfort the artist and his family.
“We are devastated by the loss of our father,” his children said in a joint statement. We will miss his sense of humour, his resilience, and how he always made sure we follow our culture. He will be deeply missed for his kindness and loving nature,” they said.
In a separate post the Grammy-nominated artist shared a short video clip of him and his father. He captioned the post with a simple broken pink heart emoji and a dove.
Zakes’ wife, Nandi Madida took to the comment section to give him words of encouragement and to reassure her husband that he was a good son to his late dad while he was alive to see it.
She also went on her Instagram timeline to pay tribute to her “father in love” which read:
“I am eternally grateful for the kindness you showed me as your daughter-in-law. You truly made me feel like your daughter in love. You had a wicked sense of humour that we will miss dearly. Thank you for making me feel like family and welcoming me so warmly.
“You are with your creator. Thank you once again. I am eternally grateful. Love and thoughts are with my husband Zakes Bantwini, family and all your loved ones during this very difficult time. ”