The family of renowned playwright and lyricist Mbongeni Ngema has denied knowledge of a woman claiming to have married Ngema under customary law.
Ngema’s brother, Nhlanhla Ngema, told the Daily News on Thursday that the family was unaware of Yolanda Wanda Moncho’s claim, other than hearing that she managed his brother’s work.
“We heard about the letter which was said to have been written by a woman, but we are not aware of her marriage to my brother except hearing that she was his manager. For now, we are focusing on burying my brother, and we will deal with other matters after the funeral,” Nhlanhla said.
Moncho wrote to KwaZulu-Natal Premier Nomusa Dube-Ncube requesting an urgent meeting with Ngema’s family, alleging she was being excluded from funeral arrangements. In her letter, she threatened legal action if the matter was not resolved.
Moncho, from Soweto, also claimed she was the managing director and sole shareholder of Diamond Edge, the company that had managed Ngema since 2019. She asserted that a delegation sent to her family in 2021 confirmed her status as Ngema’s customary wife and that she was three months pregnant with his child.
She requested active involvement in planning Ngema’s memorial and burial, citing her close working relationship with him and knowledge of his wishes. “No wife should rank more important over the other so far as planning and executing his last journey,” Moncho said in her letter.
Dube-Ncube’s spokesperson Bongi Gwala confirmed that the Premier’s Office received the letter but could not confirm whether the Premier had seen it.
Ngema, who died last week in a car accident while returning from a funeral in the Eastern Cape, will be buried on Friday under a category 2 special provincial funeral, as granted by President Cyril Ramaphosa. The service will be held at the Albert Luthuli International Convention Centre, with burial at Heroes’ Acre Cemetery in Chesterville.
Only one of Ngema’s wives, Nompumelelo Gumede, attended the memorial service in Durban on Wednesday. Moncho was not present but maintains that all customary wives, including herself, have equal status.
