Lebo Mathosa dies in car accident

By Nadia Samie
23 October 2006

Twenty-nine-year-old R&B singer Lebo Mathosa has died in a road accident in Germiston in the early hours of this morning. Mathosa’s manager, Linzy Cowley, confirmed that it was in fact Mathosa who had died, after speculation this morning as to which female singing star it was.

Police say Mathosa’s driver lost control of the vehicle at the Heidelberg off-ramp shortly after midnight. Mathosa star died at the scene. Her driver sustained light injuries.

Mathosa shot to fame in 1994 as front vocalist and dancer for the multi-Platinum, Boom Shaka. She released her debut album Dream in mid-2000. In 2001 she won two South African Music Awards.

Four weeks after the launch of Dream, the album went gold and Mathosa won Best Dance Album for Dream, Best Dance Single for Intro and Best Female Vocalist at the coveted SAMA awards. In 2001 she performed at the South African edition of the North Sea Jazz Festival in Cape Town, the Celebrate South Africa concert in London's Trafalgar Square, on tour in Malaysia and Singapore and for the Malaysian queen.

Two years ago, Mathosa told journalists: “You can’t deny death, you can’t fear it. I’m sure God has a better place for us, if you’re a believer.”