Having been in the South African music industry for over four decades now, Blondie Makhene is one of the highly celebrated veteran musical icons whose activism style of music has earned him wide recognition and endeared him in the hearts of the South African masses.
Most fans of the 1980s South African music could testify that one cannot make any review of the great musicians of that era without a mention of his name, as he is one of the artists that has imprinted his name in the sands of time.
Facts About Blondie Makhene
1 How old is Blondie Makhene?
Blondie Makhene whose real name is Keoagile Gerald Makhene was born on September 16, 1955, in the suburbs of Soweto South Africa. The talented singer also had the better part of his childhood in Soweto.
2 Who are Blondie Makhene’s Siblings?
He was raised alongside his siblings who have been identified as Pappa, Cliff, Pamela, and Phyllis Makhene. Though not much is known about his mother, what is known is that his father’s name is Peter Makhene.
Blondie with his siblings, led by their father who is also a talented singer, had earlier formed a family band in 1977. They even went as far as releasing an album titled The Family. This could be said to have been the cradle of Blondie’s future career in music.
3. He came to the limelight in 1984 after the release of his debut album
Blondie Makhene has always had a strong interest in music since he was a little child. Although he has been singing for much longer, he landed a big milestone in 1984 when he released his debut album Communicate (Family,1984). He worked on the album alongside Mally Watson in the album.
After releasing the album, he released his hit single Still In Love With You, a sort of a soulful ballad. This song was what turned him into household name in the country.
Again, Blondie dropped another hit Overtime in 1985. The LP was co-produced by Mally Watson. In 1987, he released yet another album Satisfy You! In this album, he worked with Thapelo Khomo. They produced the song at Teal Records label.
A few months later, Blondie released another album; Spreading Love which produced the hit Baby I’m Missing You, which was a dedication to his late wife Agnes, evidence enough to show his genuine love for her. The other Blondie Makhene albums include Ntate Modise Ditonkie.
4. He lost his wife to stroke in 2007
The veteran artist was married to wife Agnes Makhene for many years during which they had three lovely daughters namely; Pauline, Letoya, and Gontse Makhane. They lived as one big happy family, little did they know that the bonds they all shared together would be abruptly shattered by the death of the mother of the house.
It was reported that the musical icon lost his dear wife due to a stroke sometime back in 2007. This had a toll on his musical career for a while as he had to assume the duties of raising his three daughters all alone.
5. All his three daughters are also musically inclined
Makhene’s family is one that has talent running through their veins. Toeing the paths of their father, all his three daughters also shared a strong interest in music, since they were little girls.
They were associated with forming a musical group during their childhood days along with one of their cousins Nicky, the name of the group then was Skool Girlz. They use the group as a forum for singing to display their young talents.
6. He is the father to the famous South African actress Letoya Makhene
Blondie Makhene has always been proud of his daughter Letoya Makhene who is a talented South African actress. She is famous for her role in the South African soaps Isidigo and Generations- The Legacy. She became a household name for the notorious character she portrays in Generations, where she has acted as Kumkan Phakade’s gangster wife. Meanwhile, she quit her role in the show after featuring in the four seasons on personal grounds.
Aside from acting, she is also a singer. Letoya Makhene has made several appearances in the music industry; from the age of seven, she was one of iconic Brenda Fassie’s backup singers. She has also released the song The One alongside DJ Cleo and has also worked with DJ Qness in their song I Get Weak. Again in 2016, DJ Chynaman featured Letoya Makhene in the song Keep on Trying.
On the other hand, shortly after her mother’s demise, Letoya Makhene wanted to be a traditional healer, she trained to be an Inyanga for 8 months but later changed her mind and shifted her interest to become an actress
7. Gontse Makhene, his youngest daughter once made the headlines as a Missing Person
Gontse Makhene the youngest of the veteran singer’s daughters made the headlines back in 2015 when she decided to leave home without any notice and she was declared to be missing. She eventually returned home two weeks later after the family had posted on social media about how shattered they were for her disappearance.
There were indications that Gontse had been struggling with substance addiction within that period, even though that could not be substantiated, as there was no official commend from the family regarding that.
8. His music legacy thrives on liberation during the apartheid regime
Many of his fans would agree to the fact that one of the things that made South Africans have high regard for Makhene is his contributions to the liberation movements during the gory Apartheid regime.
He uses his music to draw the attention of the world to the ugly political situation of his country. Many citizens relate to his songs because they hold the hopes and aspirations of their collective struggles, during their dark days of oppression and it ameliorated their sorrows as of then.
Notably, Blondie grew famous for singing struggle songs, and these are some of them: Amaqabane Too Many People, Woza Woza Anc, Bayou Funk, Lomhlaba Siwugezile, Mandela Uthhayihlome, Ayilelanga, and Slovo No Tambo.
See Also: Nandi Mbatha : 10 Facts Worth Knowing About The South African Actress
9 He continued his liberation struggles in the industry for the younger generations
The veteran singer has come under the media spotlight again recently, for joining in the agitations for better remunerations for South African artists in the industry. This has made the Independent Music Performance Rights Association (IMPR) yield to the demands of the artist for more decent pay.
10. He has bagged two distinguished honorary doctorate degrees
Many of his fans have recently rejoiced with Makhene over the well-deserved honorary Doctorate degrees he was conferred in 2021.
The music legend was conferred with a Doctorate in African Medicine by the SADC University of African Medicine. Again Christ the Lamb Theoretical Seminary has awarded the musical icon with a Doctorate in Music, Arts, and Culture.
