South African Communist Party

SACP conveys heartfelt message of condolences to family of legendary musician Pops Mohamed

Tuesday, 9 December 2025: - The South African Communist Party (SACP) conveys its message of heartfelt condolences to the family of legendary South African jazz musician, Pops Mohamed (75) who breathed his last on Thursday 4 December 2025.

The SACP also conveys its message of solidarity to the entire entertainment industry in South Africa and beyond for the loss.

Born in Benoni, Gauteng, in December 1949, on the eve of the official recognition and imposition of the apartheid system, Pops Mohamed grew up under the draconian rule of a regime that suppressed him and his fellow Black people. Notwithstanding this impediment, he remembered the humble teachings of his own people on music, strived to learn every type of African music, and composed music which resonated with many people across the African continent and abroad. He took it upon himself to learn every African music instrument and inculcated it in his own music, while at the same time learning from younger artists to grow his music knowledge.

The “Minister of Music”, as he was affectionately known among his fans and colleagues, due to his wide ranging mastery of a wide variety of music instruments, including African mouth bow, bird whistle, berimbau, didgeridoo, guitar, keyboard, kora, and the thumb piano, Mohamed never abandoned is roots: his father being of Muslim of Portuguese and Indian heritage and his mother of Xhosa and Khoisan heritage. This also showed in his music compositions, thus helping to preserve African heritage which our people ought to take forward. He did not limit his music knowledge within the borders of South Africa but travelled as much as he could, learning from various cultures beyond his legal borders and thus becoming one with various other peoples he encountered, learning their music while at one and the same time improving his craft.

Mohamed won various accolades for his talents, and in 2023 won the South African Music Awards’ Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to the music industry. He is respected among South Africans and across the African continent as well as abroad, all of whom have been witness to her music genius. Two

In paying tribute to the legendary Pops Mohamed, the SACP calls for the support of South African music, and that the various governmental departments, including the departments of arts and culture, and basic education, create platforms for the development, recognition and profiling of African crafts of various talents. As the SACP, we will continue to support our talented performers with the intention to rekindle political consciousness among the people of our country, in memory of Pops Mohamed and various music stalwarts we have lost.

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ISSUED BY THE SOUTH AFRICAN COMMUNIST PARTY,
FOUNDED IN 1921 AS THE COMMUNIST PARTY OF SOUTH AFRICA.