The Gauteng government has pledged to build a cultural development school in memory of Monate Mpolaye hitmaker and businessman Oupa John “DJ Sumbody” Sefoka.
Department of Sport, Arts, Culture And Recreation MEC Morakane Mosupyoe made this promise at the memorial of the late musician at Lewende Woord Church in Centurion, outside Pretoria, on Wednesday.
DJ Sumbody died in a hail of bullets on Sunday morning, hours ahead of his annual All White Picnic at his Ayepyep Lifestyle Lounge in Pretoria.
Mosupyoe revealed that she and DJ Sumbody once had a conversation over the phone in 2019 where the DJ expressed his sentiments around the possible ways of up-skilling the youth in terms of arts and culture development.
“This young man was not supposed to die the way he did … this is so wrong on all levels. In my opinion, the law isn’t doing justice to this industry and more can be done by the government,” said Mosupyoe, who is a member of the Tshwane University of Technology board.
“I’ve never met DJ Sumbody in person but we used to speak over the phone on what sort of change can be made for the youth from ECD [Early Childhood Development] level. DJ Sumbody then told me how he could help the department using his influence to help young people. He was willing to with no fee charged.
“When I moved to [current] office four weeks ago, I then asked my team to get me in touch with Oupa because I didn’t know him as DJ Sumbody. During our call, he repeated what he told me in 2019 and strongly mentioned that he wasn’t going to entertain having talks with the department if they don’t plan to take the contribution that entertainers make seriously. We never gave him an answer,” she said.
The memorial service was honoured by a sea of mourners which included his grieving family, friends and colleagues in the music industry.
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His close friend and music collaborator, rapper Cassper Nyovest, broke into tears while sharing fond memories of the Pretoria DJ.
“I am very grateful to have had a friend like DJ Sumbody. He was very honest and straight to the point. This is such a difficult time for me because somehow DJ Sumbody always had a solution for any and every problem,” the rapper emotionally shared.
“He was one person I’d always call … you could be brutally honest with him and he wouldn’t take offence, no matter how much you’d fight with him, he wouldn’t change. His love for you would always remain the same. I am going to miss you, my friend and I love you always.”
The deceased's brother Koketso also took to the podium and urged South Africans to always keep the legacy of the DJ alive no matter what it takes. He also recalled his last moments with him, saying that although he didn’t get to say goodbye properly, the last video they shot together will forever remain in his heart.
"My brother knows that I’m not a patient person but somehow on Saturday when we took the video that’s his last post on Instagram, I had the patience for him. We took five takes until we got it right,” he remembers.
"My brother loved the finer things in life. So, on that day, I made sure I captured his red Mustang, his shoes and his Rolex the best way I knew how. He looked so good on the last day I saw him, he was so stylish and that’s how I want to remember him.”
The highly celebrated DJ leaves behind his mother, two siblings and his partner Tlotlo.
He will be laid to rest in Limpopo on Saturday.
— Sowetan Live
