When the internationally renowned King of Reggae, Lucky Dube, was shot dead this week, the whole country bled…

One of the local reggae icons who is also in mourning, Colbert Mukwevho of the band Harley and the Rasta Family, came out spitting fire, blaming the government for the tragic death of the king. Mukwevho says the government is flippant about security and does not treat the safety of South Africans with the seriousness it deserves.

The voice that connected the plight of South Africans to the rest of the world was silenced at about 20:00 in the evening of Thursday last week when Dube took his children to their uncle’s place in Rosettenville in Johannesburg. It is alleged that two men approached him and opened fire. The badly injured Dube tried to flee the scene, but unfortunately drove straight into a tree and died on the scene.

Dube‘s murder surprised many, who suspect that he was assassinated, as three bullets were pumped into his body and none of his valuables, including a cell phone and cash and his car, was not taken.

Dube was born in poor health and was named Lucky by his mother, because he survived. He rose to prominence when, in his 20s, he released hits such as Slave, Prisoner, Remember Me and many others. His music spread like wildfire throughout the country and the world.

Reacting after hearing of the shocking news, local reggae giant Mukwevho said the music fraternity in this country and the world as a whole had lost a great man. Mukwevho said what saddened him most was that Dube was one of the most prominent voices which exposed the plight of the masses in South Africa to the whole world.

Colbert said as long as the masses of South Africa, black and white, remain poor, crime will not decrease. "It is not yet Uhuru; our people remain poor, unemployed and homeless," he said.

"What type of society are we who do not respect human life, where lives of icons and our heritage could be lost so easily?" he asked. "Lucky was the embodiment of most Rastafarians and we looked up to him for inspiration," he added. Mukwevho said the perpetrators might have succeeded in killing him, but not his music and what he stood for.

His preaching of peace and love has succeeded in most African countries, Mukwevho added.

He stated that the killing of Dube was a great embarrassment to the country. "How will the international community react, seeing that we are going to host the 2010 Soccer World Cup?" he asked.

Another well-known local reggae star, Khakhathi Tshisikule, harped on the same string without moderating his tone. "The non-deliverance by the government on the question of crime is disastrous," he said."We have lost a great man, but we are consoled by the fact that he left a legacy that will be remembered forever."

Dube recorded his first albums in Zulu, playing Mbaqanga music, but was persuaded to move to reggae by his engineer, Dave Segal. He started playing some reggae during festivals and the fans responded positively to the music. This gave Dube some encouragement and he started recording reggae in 1984, and he released a mini-album, Rastas Never Die. The meager sales from the album did not dampen his spirit from following this type of music. He followed with Think about the Children, which reached platinum status and established him as the most popular reggae artist to have come out of the country.

Highlights of his musical career included bagging awards for his release, Prisoner, which won him four OKTV Awards in 1989.

In 1995, his talent attracted the attention of Motown Records that offered him a recording deal. Dube released 21 albums, all of which did well. He performed throughout the country and traveled the world over. He also performed during the Cricket World Cup in Jamaica earlier this year.

His music still continues to touch the hearts of many, even after his death. His popular song, Guns and Roses, was a prophesy that a gun would end his life and roses be put on his grave.

Meanwhile, five suspects have been arrested in connection with the case. Police seized three stolen cars and two unlicensed firearms.

American civil rights activist Rev Jesse Jackson, of Operation Push (People United to Save Humanity), said: "When the dogs bit you in 1976, we bled in America; when they shot you, we bled, but we knew that freedom cannot be shot with a gun." In the same vein, what Dube stood for cannot be shot with a gun. His music will live for ever. But we are bleeding. The crime situation in the country is abnormal. And abnormal situations cry for abnormal actions…