SOUTH AFRICA: South African reggae star Lucky Dube, has been shot dead in Johannesburg

Record ID: 456291

  • Title: SOUTH AFRICA: South African reggae star Lucky Dube, has been shot dead in Johannesburg
  • Date: 20th October 2007
  • Summary: (AD1) JOHANNESBURG, SOUTH AFRICA (OCTOBER 19, 2007) (REUTERS) NEWSPAPER STAND
  • Embargoed: 4th November 2007 12:00
  • Keywords:
  • Location: South Africa
  • Country: South Africa
  • Topics: Arts / Culture / Entertainment / Showbiz
  • Reuters ID: LVA8FAN8O1AW12O494TFHLM4OIG
  • Story Text: Gunmen have shot and killed South African reggae star Lucky Dube in front of his son and daughter in one of the highest-profile murders in the country, police said on Friday (October 19).
    43-year-old Dube was killed in an apparent carjacking attempt on Thursday evening (October 18) in Johannesburg's Rossettenville suburb while dropping off his son. The police also say they are searching for three suspects.
    Dube's fans in South Africa were shocked by the news of his murder.
    "It's a sad thing that we lost a legend like Lucky Dube, so I was so shocked this morning when I heard on the news that Lucky Dube has passed away. It's quite a bad, bad story," said Daniel Taune Maboane in Johannesburg.
    "I don't know what to say, I don't know what to say, but I will miss him a lot," added Constance Mdaka.
    The murder of South Africa's biggest-selling reggae singer cast a shadow over the national mood a day before the country's rugby union team face England in the final of the World Cup.
    Some callers to radio stations said the South African team should play wearing black armbands as a sign of mourning for Dube.
    "It's tragic, it's really sad, it's shocking, I think a lot of our artists are actually dying and its bad, it's bad, it's really sad," said Clementine and Selemina, two of Dube's fans.
    Dube's killing is one of the most high-profile killings in South Africa, which has one of the world's worst murder rates.
    The number of rapes, carjackings and assaults also are high, with some of the most violent types of crime rising last year despite efforts to beef up police forces.
    "You know what my friend, what I can tell you about Lucky Dube, you know, I'm very disappointed about what happened, because the way we are living now is not right, because people now are dying. Look at Lucky Dube now, what happened now. How can they, they could have just taken the car and just leave him there, so now they decided to take his life away. What about the children, the family and wife and everything. The family still needs him man," said Tebogo, another of Dube's fans in Johannesburg.
    Dube recorded more than 20 albums in his career and won over 20 awards locally and internationally. His first album, released in 1984 with the title "Rastas Never Die, was banned by the country's apartheid government.
    "We can not just sit here and think that we doing good music when the music is not actually doing anything for people who are in need,"
    Dube told Reuters during an interview in 1996.
    According to Dube's website, the singer had just completed a month-long tour of the U.S.
    During his career he performed across the world and shared the stage with music stars such as Sinead O'Connor, Peter Gabriel and Sting among others.
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