Johnny Clegg (1953-2019)
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The University of the Witwatersrand extends its deepest condolences to the family and friends of the legendary Johnny Clegg, a Wits alumnus and former lecturer, whose life and work illustrate the multiculturalism and social integration that is envisaged in the South African Constitution.
A lifelong friend of Wits, Johnny obtained his Bachelor of Arts (1976) and BA Honours (1977) degrees at Wits University and joined the Wits Social Anthropology Department to pursue an academic career for four years. He wrote several scholarly papers on Zulu music and dance over the years.
The University of the Witwatersrand bestowed its highest honour, an honorary doctorate (DMus), on him in 2007. Read more at: /alumni/distinguished-graduates/honorary-degree-citations/johnny-clegg/ and in this article from Wits Review: http://www.wits.ac.za/media/wits-university/news-and-events/images/documents/2018/Johnny%20Clegg%20Wits%20Review%20July%202008%20(005).pdf.
A true, brave South African hero has fallen, but his music and art will remain with us and serve as a gift for generations to come.
Jonathan (Johnny) Clegg, OBE OIS, succumbed to pancreatic cancer at the age of 66 on the afternoon of 16 July 2019 at his family home in Johannesburg, South Africa.
As a singer, songwriter, dancer, anthropologist and musical activist he showed us what it was to assimilate to and embrace other cultures without losing your identity. He used his music to speak to every person. With his unique style of music he traversed cultural barriers like few others. In many of us he awakened awareness.
He was born on 7 June 1953 in England and moved to Johannesburg with his mother Muriel, a cabaret and jazz singer, as a child. His stepfather, Dan Pienaar, was a reporter who sometimes took him into the townships.
His exposure to migrant workers (including Charlie Mzila, a cleaner and musician) during adolescence introduced him to Zulu culture and music. In 1971, he was the only white person in South Africa to write Zulu as a matric subject. He remembered his time at Wits as one of being stretched, struggling at first to adapt but eventually excelling and enjoying his studies and campus activities. Later, he enjoyed teaching, seeing it as a kind of performance.
At the age of 17, he and Sipho Mchunu formed their first band, called Juluka. At the age of 33, in 1986, at the height of apartheid, he partnered with Dudu Zulu to form his second inter-racial band, called Savuka. He also recorded several solo albums and enjoyed international success, selling out concerts wherever he performed.
Under apartheid, the bands’ crossover music was subjected to censorship and restrictions on the state-owned radio. Touring brought the bands into conflict with laws forbidding racial mixing in public venues. Many shows were closed down by the police but a substantial following of students and migrant workers developed. Juluka performed at the first Free People’s Concert at Wits in 1971 and at subsequent concerts. One of the organisers recalled seeing the “sheer joy and exuberance” on the faces in the audience.
Johnny received awards from a number of local and international bodies for his contribution to music and society, notably the Knight of Arts and Letters from the French Government in 1991 and the Order of the British Empire in 2015. In 2012 he received the Order of Ikhamanga (Silver) from the South African government. He was awarded honorary doctorates by the University of KwaZulu-Natal, Dartmouth College in the USA and the City University of New York, as well as Wits University.
He authored the book "UkuBuyisa Isidumbu" (1981, Ravan Press) and presented papers on "The Music of Zulu Immigrant Workers in Johannesburg" in 1981 at the Grahamstown International Library of African Music and "Towards an Understanding of African Dance: The Zulu Isishameni Style" in 1982 at Rhodes University.
Johnny was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer in 2015 but continued to tour and perform around the world.
He is survived by his wife of 31 years, Jenny, and their sons Jesse and Jaron.
A group of South African musicians recorded one of his songs, The Crossing, as a tribute to him last year. Watch the video: https://youtu.be/WKWEEpA0HkY
More tributes:
https://www.nytimes.com/2019/07/16/arts/music/johnny-clegg-dead.html
https://www.thesouthafrican.com/news/south-africa-loses-an-icon-tributes-pour-in-for-johnny-clegg/
Sources: Wits University; Roddy Quin (manager, friend and family spokesman); www.johnnyclegg.com; Wits Review July 2008, Wits Review October 2017