Legendary South African Musician Babsy Mlangeni Passes Away at 83
South Africa is mourning the loss of one of its most legendary and transformative musical figures, Bernard “Babsy Mlangeni, who passed away on Thursday evening at the age of 83.
According to early reports, the iconic veteran singer, songwriter, and composer succumbed to a short illness.
His death marks the conclusion of an extraordinary career that spanned nearly six decades and left an indelible mark on the nation’s cultural heritage.
Born in Orlando East, Soweto, in 1943, Mlangeni lost his eyesight at the tender age of three.
Despite the immense structural barriers and prejudices faced by visually impaired individuals under apartheid, he discovered his passion for music early in life.
He attended the Athlone School for the Blind in Cape Town, where he learned to play the guitar and co-founded the student band that would later become known as The All-Rounders.
Mlangeni rose to prominence in the late 1960s and early 1970s, pioneering the genre known as township soul.
His timeless Sesotho ballad “Sala Emma”, released in 1968, propelled him into household stardom, crossing deep-seated linguistic and cultural divides.
Throughout his long career, Mlangeni proved to be a versatile and prolific artist, releasing chart-topping hits such as “Bua Nnete”, “Botsotso”, “Lonely Man”, and “Umadlembathini”. Strikingly, he regularly recorded his music in multiple African languages, including isiZulu, Sesotho, and isiXhosa, deliberately defying apartheid-era tribal segregation policies.
Beyond his commercial success, which rivalled the sales of legendary groups like the Soul Brothers and Ladysmith Black Mambazo during his prime, Mlangeni was a fierce advocate for disabled creatives.
He co-founded the South African Blind Musicians Association to campaign for fair royalties and professional opportunities for visually impaired artists, and he mentored numerous younger talents, including the late Steve Kekana.
In recognition of his monumental contributions to South African music and social advocacy, Mlangeni received a Lifetime Achievement Award from the South African Music Awards in 2017, followed by another lifetime honor at the National Arts and Culture Awards in 2025.
Tributes have begun pouring in from fans, industry peers, and cultural organizations across the country, celebrating Mlangeni not only as South Africa’s first black blind superstar but as an architect of unity who used his music to heal and resist oppression.
