Zahara’s fiancé, Mpho Xaba, took the stage at her memorial service on Thursday at Rhema Bible Church to share his fondest memories of her.
Xaba started his speech by saying he was Zahara’s other half who knew her outside her celebrity status and shared that he stood her up three times when they were supposed to have their first date.
Zahara's fiancé, Mpho Xaba.#RIPZahara @City_Press pic.twitter.com/VELZb5Sc3e
— Karisa (@MpumeeMagagula) December 14, 2023
“The first time we met, we shared deep intimate conversations as I was not in a good space of mind myself. After that, she somehow got hold of my number from a friend. She reached out and she was like ‘bhuti, sisazothetha’. I was sceptical at first, I was like ‘what business do I have with celebrities?’. But she was not speaking from this pedestal which she was at, at the time, it was a very human and real place,” said Xaba.
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He continued to say that the star used to say that she would tell people on their wedding day he stood her up three times.
He explained:
He shared that the musician, real name Bulelwa Mkutukana, did not reply for about a week and he had to reach out, and the rest is history.
Xaba, who asked for Zahara’s hand in marriage in March, said he and the late award-winning muso would speak for hours on the phone, and that she hated reading long texts.
READ: RIP Zahara | Artist remembered for not only her talent, but also her sense of humour
Xaba read an emotional love letter he said was the last one he wrote for Mkutukana, who died on Monday at the age of 36 following liver complications.
Zahara's fiancé Mpho Xaba takes the stage at her memorial service.#RIPZahara@City_Press pic.twitter.com/yRAQajfuIv
— Karisa (@MpumeeMagagula) December 14, 2023
The Loliwe hitmaker will be laid to rest at her home in Phumlani in the Eastern Cape on Saturday, 23 December.