The first black electric bassist in South Africa and the originator of the mbaqanga sound, Joseph Makwela, has died at the age of 83.
His grandson and family spokesperson Shaun Makwela confirmed the virtuoso guitarist’s passing in a statement shared with Independent Media Lifestyle.
Makwela died peacefully at his home on Tuesday, August 1, surrounded by his loved ones.
“The Makwelas are sad to report the passing of Joseph Makwela at 04:30 today, Tuesday, 1 August,” read the statement.
“Joseph, 83 years old, died peacefully at home of natural causes, attended to by family.”
The family asked for privacy while they process their loss.
Makwela and fellow domestic workers West Nkosi (saxophone), Lucky Monama (drums) and Marks Mankwane (lead guitar) formed a group called The Pretoria Tower Boys, in the early ’60s.
Together with rhythm guitarist Vivian Ngubane, they formed a South African mbaqanga vocalists band Makgona Tsohle in 1963.
The Makgona Tsohle band gained prominence in the ’70s backing solo vocalist Simon Nkabinde, best known as Mahlathini alongside the group Mahotella Queens.
According to Rolling Stone Australia, Makwela was the heartbeat of the Makgona Tshohle Band.
Makwela had the first electric bass in South Africa, which he bought from a white guy who imported it after seeing the Shadows live.
In the racist oppression of the apartheid era, Makwela took that second-hand bass and completely remade South African music.
His unique playing style, which involved playing melodies up high on the electric bass, served as an inspiration for other musicians like Bakithi Kumalo, who later anchored Paul Simon’s album “Graceland”.
“Joseph Makwela was the first person I saw playing an electric bass,” Kumalo was quoted during an interview with Bass Player in 2016.
“He played melodies up high, which was a big influence when I picked up fretless.”
Makgona Tsohle also recorded their own-name “sax-jive” hits in the late ’70s and early ’80s, further solidifying their place in South African music history.
Tragically, the band endured significant losses in August 1998 when Nkosi was involved in a severe car accident that left him paralysed before his passing in October of the same year.
On the day of Nkosi’s funeral, Mankwane also passed away due to complications from diabetes.
Despite these losses, Makwela continued to provide the foundation for South Africa’s Mahlathini and Mahotella Queens from 1964 until Mahlathini’s passing in 1999.
Makwela was honoured with Special Award for his exceptional contributions to South African music at the Special Award at the Backing Vocalists And Session Musicians Awards Awards), early in the year.
“There has not been a musician to surpass the skill and talent of Joseph Makwela in all these years since 1964. He gave us the mbaqanga sound that we talk about today,” said Mahotella Queen’s lead singer Hilda Tloubatla.
“He recorded a lot of music and his legacy is that he is the best bass guitarist to come out of South Africa. He is so deserving.”
Makwela’s “aggressive yet buoyant” bass-playing style left an indelible mark on mbaqanga music, which is evident in classics such as the Mahotella Queens’ Umculo Kawupheli and Mahlathini’s Ngicabange Ngaqeda.