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LUCKY DUBE Aug 3, 1964 - Oct 18,
2007
The
news about the brutal killing of Lucky Dube, last Thursday
18th october 2007, is a great shock to all reggae and music
lovers
all over the world.
We give thanks for his music, lyrics and
great performances.
Lucky Dube rest in peace.
Reggaeholland crew
Lucky Dube shot dead in Jo'burg
Johannesburg, South Africa, 18 October 2007
Reggae musician Lucky Dube was shot dead in a hijacking on
Thursday in Rosettenville, Johannesburg police said.
Captain Cheryl Engelbrecht said the incident took place at
about 8.20pm when Dube (43) was driving in the Johannesburg
suburb.
She said Dube was dropping off his son in the area when he was
attacked.
"His son was already out of the car. When he saw what was
happening, he ran
to ask for help."
The hijackers were still at large. The boy was too traumatised
to provide police with any information, Engelbrecht said. |
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Police on trail of Lucky Dube's killers
Johannesburg, South Africa, 19 October 2007
Johannesburg police were on Friday looking for three men
driving a blue Volkswagen Polo believed to have been
involved in the murder of reggae star Lucky Dube (43).
Dube was shot dead in a botched hijacking in Rosettenville
at about 8.20pm on Thursday night, said police spokesperson
Captain Cheryl Engelbrecht. The singer was travelling in a
grey Chrysler with his two teenage children at the time.
Engelbrecht said Dube had dropped off his son and daughter,
aged 15 and 16, when he was attacked. The killers fled the
scene, leaving the musician's car behind. The children were
unhurt.
"His son was already out of the car. When he saw what was
happening, he ran
to ask for help." The boy was too traumatised to provide
police with any information, she added.
Melvin Khumalo of Gallo Records -- Dube's recording company
-- was not willing to comment on the incident, saying the
company was attending to Dube's family.
The Pan Africanist Congress on Friday expressed its "shock
and anger" at Dube's "cold-blooded murder".
"It signifies yet again how much criminals disregard human
life," said party coordinator Modini Maivha. "We pass our
condolences to Lucky's family and the families of other
victims of violent crime in the country. We call on the
government to empower citizens ... by releasing crime
statistics regularly.
"This will enable us to appreciate the levels of crime and
galvanise South
Africans to do more to help our under-resourced police force."
The African Christian Democratic Party also sent its
condolences to Dube's family and called for the
reinstatement of the death penalty. The party's Western Cape
representative Hansie Louw said in a statement: "Will the
death penalty not reduce the senseless killings? There is no
respect for life." |
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Top detectives hunt Dube's
killers
Johannesburg, South Africa, 20 October
2007
A crack team of detectives was on Friday hunting for the
killers of reggae star Lucky Dube as public outrage against
violent crime mounted.
Gauteng police spokesperson Superintendent Eugene Opperman
said the search was continuing for the men who murdered Dube
in a botched hijacking.
Dube was shot dead in Rosettenville at about 8.20pm on
Thursday night, said police spokesperson Captain Cheryl
Engelbrecht.
The singer was travelling in a grey Chrysler with his two
teenage children at the time.
Engelbrecht said Dube had dropped off his son and daughter,
aged 15 and 16, when he was attacked. The killers fled the
scene
in a blue VW Polo, leaving the musician's car behind. The
children were unhurt.
Gauteng's police commissioner Perumal Naidoo has hand-picked a
team of investigators to track down Dube's killers.
"Commissioner Naidoo has expressed his abhorrence at this
murder," Opperman said.
"He's got a lot of confidence in this team, who will do
everything possible to identify and arrest those responsible
for this.
Director Charles Johnson, a very experienced senior detective
in Gauteng, will now oversee every step of the investigation." |
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Five
arrested for Lucky Dube's murder
Johannesburg, South Africa, 21
October 2007
Five men were arrested on Sunday in connection with the
murder
of reggae star Lucky Dube, East Rand police said.
Police arrested the five, aged between 31 and 35, in
Spruitview on the
East Rand on Sunday morning.
Police spokesperson Superintendent Eugene Opperman said police
seized two stolen handguns and a VW Polo.
"Police also recovered three other stolen vehicles during the
investigation this morning [Sunday]," he said.
The five are expected to appear in the Johannesburg
Magistrate's
Court on Tuesday.
Opperman said: "The initial police reports regarding the
murder
being related to a botched hijacking remain correct."
A crack team of detectives had been assembled to search for
the killers.Dube was shot dead in Rosettenville at about 8.20pm on
Thursday
night.
The singer was travelling in a grey Chrysler with his
two teenage children at the time. |
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Legacy
Condolences spanned the length and breadth of the political
and cultural spectrum, with everyone from President Thabo
Mbeki to the South African Football Players' Union praising
Dube's legacy and raising concerns about the level of violent
crime.
Mbeki made an appeal to South Africans to confront the "scourge"
of crime together.
"This is ... very, very sad that this happened to an
outstanding South African -- an outstanding musician, world
renowned," he said as he was leaving for France to support the
Springboks in the World Cup final.
Mbeki conveyed his condolences to the family and also to
Dube's fans in SA and around the world.
Deputy President Phumzile Mlambo-Ngcuka said: "For more than
two decades he confronted pertinent social and political
issues through his music, bringing to the fore the pain and
suffering of many South Africans."
Arts and Culture Minister Pallo Jordan called Dube one of the
most "important and relevant" voices to come out of the
country in the 20th century.
"What makes his death more painful is that it happened at a
time when government has renewed its pledge to forge a
partnership with people, communities and their institutions to
fight crime," he said in a statement. |
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Only four linked to Dube murder
Johannesburg, South Africa, 22 October 2007
Only four of the five men arrested in connection with the
murder of South African reggae great Lucky Dube could be
linked to the killing, police said on Monday.
The four would appear in the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court
on Tuesday on charges of murder, attempted murder and illegal
possession of firearms and ammunition, said Superintendent
Eugene Opperman.
A fifth man arrested with them would appear in the Katlehong
magistrate's court on a charge related to the possession of
suspected stolen property, he said. |
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Dube
funeral won't be 'a circus'
Johannesburg, South Africa, 22 October 2007
The funeral of South Africa's reggae legend Lucky Dube
will be a private affair, family spokesperson Arnold
Mabunda said on Monday.
"The family requested that the funeral be a private matter
due to Lucky's beliefs and
the Church's way of doing things.
"They have requested that it not be turned into a circus,
so media will not be allowed. That's not what Lucky would
have wanted," he said.
Dube was shot dead during an apparent hijack attempt while
dropping his two
teenage children at his brother's house in Rosettenville.
His alleged killers, aged between 31 and 35, were arrested
in Spruitview, on
the East Rand, on Sunday morning.
"We respect the family's wishes," said Communication
Workers' Union of SA president Kid Sithole.
He said union members would also not gather outside the
Johannesburg Magistrate's Court for the appearance of the
five on Tuesday.
Dube's funeral service will take place at Farmers' Hall in
Newcastle on Sunday.
A memorial service will be held at the Bassline in Newtown
on Wednesday at 9am. |
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Newcastle funeral service cancelled
Johannesburg, South Africa, 23 October 2007
The Newcastle funeral service for South African reggae star
Lucky Dube has been cancelled, spokespersons for the family
said
on Tuesday. "The family wishes to respect his final wishes to
have a small and dignified funeral," they said in a statement.
The family initially indicated that the public would be
welcome at Dube's funeral service at The Farmers' Hall in
Newcastle on October 28, but not at his burial.
However, on Tuesday their spokesperson said the funeral
service had been cancelled.
They said anyone wanting to pay their last respects could do
so by attending a memorial service at the Bassline in Newtown
at 11am on Wednesday oct 24.
Flowers could be delivered to the offices of Slave Promotions,
Downtown Studios, Second Floor, 62 Goud Street, Johannesburg. |
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Suspects in court
Johannesburg, South Africa, 23 October 2007
The four suspects in the murder case made their first
appearance in the Johannesburg Magistrate's Court on Tuesday.
Sifiso Mlanga, Julius Gxowa, Thabo Mafoping and Mbofi Mabi,
all aged between 31 and 35, appeared on charges of murder,
attempted hijacking, and the illegal possession of firearms
and ammunition.
"It's very important for the family that the suspects are
behind bars. We want to hear exactly what happened and who
gave
the order to kill him," an emotional Siluma said.
The suspects were caught on Sunday in Vosloorus, Alberton and
Spruitview. The court was packed on Tuesday with Dube's
family, friends and fans who wanted to get a look at the
suspects.
Various police officials shielded the men, fearing that
members of the public might assault them. One of the suspects
tried to
cover his face with a towel, while the other pulled hoods over
their heads when they were led to the docks.
Pat Sibeko who sang with Lucky Dube's group some years ago,
and Siluma, who both were sitting on a bench near the accused,
burst into tears when they came face-to-face with the
suspects.
Magistrate Albertus Roux postponed the case to October 30 for
further investigation, and also for the suspects to apply for
legal representation. |
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Members
of Lucky Dube's band perform during
the memorial service. |
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Music and
tears flow at memorial in South Africa
for slain reggae star Lucky Dube
Johannesburg, South Africa,
24 October 2007
South Africa Slain reggae star Lucky Dube was remembered
Wednesday
at a memorial service by friends and family who railed
against his senseless shooting death and his bandmates who
entertained a dancing crowd outside by playing some of his
songs.
Dube, 43, was gunned down in front of two of his children
last week in
an apparent carjacking attempt in suburban Johannesburg.
Four men who were arrested in connection with the murder
appeared briefly in court Tuesday.
"We have lost a legend, an icon," said Skipha Shabalala,
lead guitarist
with Dube's band. "Why was this man killed in such a
brutal and barbaric manner?" |
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Posters of
the star with his trademark waist-length dreadlocks
covered the walls of the packed Bassline,
a popular downtown music venue. Seated on the floor,
barefoot and dressed in white, were members of the Shembe,
a Zulu Christian sect to which Dube belonged.
Outside, up to 1,500 fans - many wearing the Rastafarian
colors of green, gold and red - gathered to watch the
service on a large screen.
"Today we are here to mourn, but also to celebrate the
life of someone who made us very proud as South Africans,"
musician Sipho Mabuse said.
Dube, who launched his career in the 1980s with criticism
of the apartheid regime, went on to become a huge
international star recording more than 20 albums and
sharing stages with the likes of Michael Jackson, Peter
Gabriel, Ziggy Marley and Sting. |
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Lead guitarist of Lucky Dube's band Skipha Shabalala,
speaks during the memorial service for the reggae
star in
Johannesburg, South Africa, Wednesday Oct. 24, 2007.
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Members of the Shembe church,
a church which South Africa's biggest-selling reggae
singer
Lucky Dube was a worshipper, sing during his memorial service. |
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Ivor
Haarburger, chief executive of Gallo Records, described
Dube as an "enormous talent" who was a quiet and reserved
man, but whose stage performances were "amazing."
"We as a nation are shocked and saddened at the news.
With this senseless and disturbing act a great spirit has
been taken from us. It is a loss felt by millions
throughout the world," he said.
South Africa has one of the highest crime rates in the
world, recording an average of 50 murders each day. U.N.
crime statistics say one in three Johannesburg residents
has been robbed. Rapes and assaults also are common.
Dube expressed his concerns about crime in his lyrics,
most notably his 1999 song "Crime and Corruption," in
which he wrote: "Do you ever worry about leaving home and
coming back in a coffin, with a bullet through your head?"
Messages of condolences were read out during the service,
including statements from Peter Gabriel and the presidents
of the Gambia and Senegal. |
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Interspersed
throughout the service were performances by some of Dube's
fellow musicians, as well as the artist's band.
"I am sad. Even if the people who did this are arrested,
they will still live," said musician Bhekumuzi Luthuli,
barely able to sing for the tears choking him.
In another heartbreaking moment, two of Dube's seven
children took to the stage at the end of the service to
read
out a statement from the family.
"We are going to miss you forever," said a sobbing Laura,
holding on to her elder sister Bongi.
Then as Dube's band broke into song, the crowd outside
paid tribute to their hero the only way they knew how - by
taking
to their feet and dancing.
"Love those who gimme war," they cheered as the band
played the title song from Dube's latest album "Respect."
"I love those who hate me. I bless even those who curse
me. Gimme, gimme respect," they sang. |
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People attend a memorial service for Lucky Dube
in Johannesburg. Slain reggae star Dube was hailed
as an immortal legend of African music as fans,
fellow musicians
and heads of state paid their final respects at the
memorial service in Johannesburg. |
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Lucky Dube's funeral opened to
public
Johannesburg, South Africa, 27 October 2007
The family of the late reggae star
Lucky Dube says members of the public are welcome at his
funeral tomorrow at Ingogo,
outside Newcastle in northern KwaZulu-Natal. Earlier there was
confusion as to whether the proceedings would be open to
the public.
Dube was shot dead last week in a botched hijacking in
Johannesburg. Several artists have hailed Dube as a peaceful
prophet
and ambassador. Spokesperson for the Free State Creative
Workers Union of South Africa Thami Moleko says the country
does
not respect its musicians and icons.
Only four of the five suspects charged with the killing the
reggae star and have appeared in court on Tuesday. |
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Mourners hold a portrait of the late reggae star,
Lucky Dube, during his funeral at Ingogo village
outside Newcastle in
Kwazulu Natal October 28, 2007. |
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Reggae
star Lucky Dube laid to rest
Johannesburg, South Africa, 28 October 2007
Thousands of fans bade an emotional farewell on Sunday to
South Africa's top reggae star Lucky Dube, whose murder in
an apparent botched carjacking stunned even a nation
hardened to violent crime.
Rastafarians and members of the African Shembe Christian
church to which Dube belonged were prominent in the
crowds who thronged to his rural home for his funeral.
Local musicians and fans from across Africa sang hymns
and paid tribute to South Africa's biggest-selling reggae
singer and one of the country's most successful
artistes.
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His wife Zanele and children broke down in tears as one of
Dube's best-known songs played over the loudspeaker at
the public ceremony on his farm near the remote village
of Ingogo, about 250 km (160 miles) southeast of
Johannesburg.
The internationally acclaimed singer, who recorded 22
albums in English, Zulu and Afrikaans and won more than
20 awards in a 25-year entertainment career, was then
buried in his garden in a private family ceremony.
The 43-year-old was shot dead in front of his children in
a Johannesburg suburb on October 18. Five men have been
arrested.
The high-profile killing prompted new calls for a
crackdown on violent crime in South Africa, which has one
of the
highest crime rates in the world.
Police figures show there were nearly 20,000 murders in
the year to the end of March, 2.4 percent up on the year
before. The number of rapes, carjackings and assaults also
remained high. |
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Mourners carry the traditional coffin of the late
reggae star,
Lucky Dube (in Accordance to his religius belief of
the Shembe church), during his funeral at Ingogo
village outside Newcastle
in Kwazulu Natal, October 28, 2007. |
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Outrage
The killing of Dube has taken
outrage over crime in the country to new levels.
Now prisoners serving time for violent crime have added their
voices to the slew of politicians, artists and fans who have
condemned his death.
Nearly 100 inmates of a prison near Pretoria in a petition
decried Dube's killing in a signed petition, according to the
Sowetan newspaper on Friday.
"Though we are serving sentences for crimes similar to this
one, we feel we have wronged our nation and there is no
justification for this barbaric act," the petition read. "This
is our way of apologising to the community and a sign that we
have changed."
South Africans have been united in shock and grief over the
killing of the 43-year-old star on October 18.
Dube's 25-year career had seen him tour the world during the
apartheid era and beyond with catchy tunes denouncing social
injustice.
In latter years he had also pondered South Africa's crime
problem in his lyrics: about 52 people are murdered and 144
people report being raped each day in South Africa, making it
one of the world's most violent societies. |
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Dube
family thanks SA for its support
Johannesburg, South Africa, 28 October 2007
The late reggae star Lucky Dube's funeral service has ended in
Newcastle in northern KwaZulu-Natal, with the family
requesting members of the public to leave the venue to allow
the private burial to continue. Only Shembe worshippers and
family members have been asked to remain behind.
The Dube family expressed gratitude for the support it has
received from various sectors of the community.
The family says it has received more than 128 000 messages of
support during the past 10 days.
KwaZulu-Natal arts, culture and tourism MEC Weziwe Thusi says
a collaborative effort is required from government and members
of the public to fight crime in South Africa. She was
responding to calls for the strengthening of anti-crime
campaigns during the funeral service. |
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Dube
case postponed
Johannesburg, South Africa, 30 October 2007
The four men accused of the murder of reggae star Lucky Dube
had their
case postponed in the Johannesburg magistrate's court on
Tuesday.
Magistrate PJ Du Plessis postponed the case until November 30
for further investigation. |
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BBC WORLD NEWS |
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CNN NEWS |
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REUTERS NEWS |
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DEMOCRACY NOW REPORTS |
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LUCKY DUBE MEMORIAL
SERVICE Oct 24, 2007 |
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LUCKY DUBE FAREWELL Oct 28, 2007 |
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LUCKY DUBE REMEMBERED FOREVER 1964-2007 |
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FRANS CHUCK. D PINAS
(REGGAEHOLLAND) & LUCKY DUBE |
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