OBITUARY
Radio’s Lindani Bekwa scored goals
The outpouring of sorrow on social media is a testament to the loss of one of SA's greatest talents, writes Bonile Ngqiyaza
Umhlobo Wenene news reader Lindani Bekwa, who died last week after a long illness, was a football lover first and foremost. High up among his loves were Marks Maponyane and Kaizer Chiefs. For a time, he modelled himself after the athlete. Like his hero, Bekwa sported a perm in the late 1980s. He also adopted "Marks" as his nickname, which some insisted on spelling "Marx", to his annoyance. Encoded deep in his genes was a superb actor. He proved a natural the moment he stood in the spotlight and spoke someone else’s words. It neither looked nor sounded as if he was playing a character. Bekwa became the character on stage and transported audiences to other worlds and vistas with perfect ease. He had an extremely expressive face, accented by slightly bulging eyes, which gave him a passing resemblance to African American writer James Baldwin. In 1988, when schools reopened after months of protests, Marks and I were in the cast of Tom Stoppard’s Albert’s Bridge at Nombulelo Senior Second...
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