A cloud of mourning is hanging over the South African music fraternity and the academic sphere, following the death of multiple award-winning veteran musician, Christopher Mukwevho (63).

Mukwevho was the leader and founder of the famous musical group Thrilling Artists, and he was the headmaster of Mukhwantheli Secondary School in Dididi, outside Thohoyandou.

Mukwevho died at Tshilidzini Hospital on Tuesday last week after a short illness. He will be buried tomorrow (Saturday, 17th) at his home village of Tshitomboni at 06:00.

Under his leadership, the Thrilling Artists became famous for their unforgettable songs Mukhada o ntshuma, Hani-Hani and Salani, in the eighties.

In an exclusive interview with Mirror in October 1995, Mukwevho explained how he had ventured into the music industry: "My late father, Daniel, played Mbila, and my mother, Alidzulwi, was a Lugube player. Their love for music planted a seed of musical hope in me and that is why I decided to start a family band. The Thrilling Artists started as an entertaining group, performing at wedding feasts, Christmas carnivals and school concerts. I was a great pennywhistle player in the 1950s and my love for music never stopped growing. We bought our first guitar in 1960 after we had raised money by collecting wood and cleaning other people’s houses. I teamed up with my brother, Abel, and Ronald Mulaudzi and we contributed funds to buy our first set of musical instruments in the late sixties."

Thrilling Artists’ first recording was with the then Radio Venda in 1975. Their recording included the song Phophi ni tuwa, which entered the Astera Competition, but was beaten by Ni ambara suthu by Sibasa Pirates. The band then recorded Mukhada o ntshuma in 1981, which took the national music industry by storm, winning the first prize in the same Astera Competition. They then went to Gallo Recording Studios, to re-record Mukhada o ntshuma, in 1983. On all the recordings, the late Christopher was the composer, lead vocalist and accordion player, whereas his brother, Abel, was on lead guitar. Another recording that made the Thrilling Artists more famous was Hani-Hani, which was released in 1986 and had the same impact as Mukhada o ntshuma. Other recordings that made them the darling of their fans include Tshigombela (1988), Thrilling Africa (2000), Ri do tshila but once (1990) and Kholovhulara (2005). Christopher was working on a pennywhistle-dominated album at the time of his death. Mukwevho was a proud recipient of countless awards from different institutions, in recognition of his contribution to the development of Tshivenda music.

Roxley Masevhe of the Performing Arts Federation of Limpopo said Mukwevho’s death is a terrible blow to the South African music industry. "His music was unique and he was a creative artist whose talent will be missed. He is irreplaceable but we have learnt a lot from him. We will really miss him but his contribution to music will remain to be seen."