James Steven Mzilikazi Khumalo (20 June 1932 —22 June 2021) was a South African composer and professor emeritus of African languages at the

University of the Witwatersrand The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), is a multi-campus South African Public university, public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits ( o ...

Early life

Khumalo was born on the farm KwaNgwelu in

Natal NATAL or Natal may refer to: Places * Natal, Rio Grande do Norte, a city in Brazil * Natal, South Africa (disambiguation), a region in South Africa ** Natalia Republic, a former country (1839–1843) ** Colony of Natal, a former British colony ( ...

in 1932. Shortly after Khumalo's birth his parents were ordained as ministers in the

Salvation Army Salvation (from Latin: ''salvatio'', from ''salva'', 'safe, saved') is the state of being saved or protected from harm or a dire situation. In religion and theology, ''salvation'' generally refers to the deliverance of the soul from sin and its c ...

, which ran the farm at the time. The family moved to

Hlabisa Hlabisa is a settlement in Umkhanyakude District Municipality in the KwaZulu-Natal province of South Africa. The village lies between the Hluhluwe and Umfolozi game reserves, some 40 km north-west of Mtubatuba. Named after the Hlabisa tribe ...

, where Khumalo started school.

Scholar of African languages

After completing high school Khumalo enrolled at the teachers' training college in

Mamelodi Mamelodi, part of the City of Tshwane Metropolitan Municipality, is a township set up by the then apartheid government northeast of Pretoria, Gauteng, South Africa. Etymology "Mamelodi" is the name derived from the Sepedi word with the prefix bei ...

. He continued his studies, obtaining a bachelor's degree with majors in English and Zulu in 1956 from the

University of South Africa The University of South Africa (UNISA), known colloquially as Unisa, is the largest university system in South Africa by enrollment. It attracts a third of all higher education students in South Africa. Through various colleges and affiliates, U ...

. He went on to obtain master's degree and, in 1988, a PhD, both from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg. Khumalo's career in the Department of African Languages of the

Johannesburg Johannesburg ( , , ; Zulu and xh, eGoli ), colloquially known as Jozi, Joburg, or "The City of Gold", is the largest city in South Africa, classified as a megacity, and is one of the 100 largest urban areas in the world. According to Demo ...

began in 1969, when he held a position as a tutor. He advanced to become a professor of African languages and head of the Department of African Languages at Wits.

Composer

His first composition was ''Ma Ngificwa Ukufa'', which had its premiere in 1959. His compositions consist principally of settings of Zulu texts. His ''Five African Songs'' is an arrangement of four traditional songs and one modern tune for choir and symphony orchestra. It has been recorded by the South African National Symphony Orchestra and Chamber Choir of the

South African Broadcasting Corporation The South African Broadcasting Corporation (SABC) is the public broadcaster in South Africa, and provides 19 radio stations ( AM/ FM) as well as six television broadcasts to the general public. It is one of the largest of South Africa's state ...

, conducted by Richard Cock. Two of the five songs are in the

Xhosa language Xhosa (, ) also isiXhosa as an endonym, is a Nguni language and one of the official languages of South Africa and Zimbabwe. Xhosa is spoken as a first language by approximately 8.2 million people and by another 11 million as a second ...

, and the other three are in Zulu. The piece has also been orchestrated by Peter Louis Van Dijk. In 1986 he composed a choral work for the enthronement of Archbishop

Desmond Tutu Desmond Mpilo Tutu (7 October 193126 December 2021) was a South African Anglican bishop and theologian, known for his work as an anti-apartheid and human rights activist. He was Bishop of Johannesburg from 1985 to 1986 and then Archbishop ...

. Khumalo is also the composer of the

cantata A cantata (; ; literally "sung", past participle feminine singular of the Italian verb ''cantare'', "to sing") is a vocal composition with an instrumental accompaniment, typically in several movements, often involving a choir. The meaning of ...

''uShaka KaSenzangakhona'', which tells the story of the Zulu king,

Shaka Shaka kaSenzangakhona ( – 22 September 1828), also known as Shaka Zulu () and Sigidi kaSenzangakhona, was the king of the Zulu Kingdom from 1816 to 1828. One of the most influential monarchs of the Zulu, he ordered wide-reaching reforms that ...

. Khumalo was commissioned by Opera Africa for an opera, resulting in ''Princess Magogo kaDinuzulu'' (2002), a work about the Zulu princess, musician and poet Princess Constance Magogo kaDinuzulu. The opera was the first Zulu language opera. He also played a role in producing the official post-apartheid version of the

National Anthem of South Africa The National Anthem of South Africa was adopted in 1997 and is a hybrid song combining extracts of the 19th century Xhosa hymn " xh, Nkosi Sikelel' iAfrika, label=none" ( en, "God Bless Africa", ) and the Afrikaans song which was used as the S ...

, at the request of President

Nelson Mandela Nelson Rolihlahla Mandela (; ; 18 July 1918 – 5 December 2013) was a South African Internal resistance to apartheid, anti-apartheid activist who served as the President of South Africa, first president of South Africa from 1994 to 1 ...

Works on the phonology of Zulu

* *

Awards and honours

In 2015

Wits University The University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg (), is a multi-campus South African public research university situated in the northern areas of central Johannesburg. It is more commonly known as Wits University or Wits ( or ). The university ...

awarded him an honorary doctorate.

Death

On 22 June 2021, Mzilikazi Khumalo died two days after his 89th birthday following a long illness.

Notes and references

External links

Biography
at AfriClassical.com {{DEFAULTSORT:Khumalo, J.S. Mzilikazi South African composers South African male composers 1932 births 2021 deaths Academic staff of the University of the Witwatersrand University of South Africa alumni Zulu people People from Natal 20th-century composers 20th-century South African musicians 20th-century male musicians 21st-century composers 21st-century South African musicians 21st-century male musicians 20th-century linguists Linguists from South Africa