SARAFINA! Playwright Mbongeni Ngema Dies at 68

BroadwayWorld is saddened to report that playwright, composer, lyricist, and producer, Mbongeni Ngema has died at age 68, following a car accident, a family statement revealed.

Ngema was best known for writing the musical Sarafina!, which premiered on Broadway in 1988, and was later adapted into a film starring Whoopi Goldberg in 1992.

He also co-wrote the play Woza Albert!, a satirical South African political play, alongside Percy Mtwa and Barney Simon in 1981. The play was first performed at the Market Theatre in Johannesburg and later went on to premiere in London.

Ngema was known for creating works that commented on the experience of South Africans under apartheid. Other works include Township Fever (1990), Sheila's Day (1990), Mama (1995), Sarafina II (1996), Maria-Maria (1997), The House of Shaka (2005), 1906 Bhambada The Freedom Fighter (2006), Lion of the East (2009), The Zulu (2013), and more.

In addition to his work as a playwright, Ngema also served as one of the vocal arrangers for the Disney film The Lion King (1994).