Amapiano stars Killer Kau and Mpura tragically passed away in a car crash on August 7th, 2021, on the N4 in Rustenburg near the Marikana toll gate in North West province. When the accident occurred, they were on their way to perform at a concert. It happened while there was a lockdown with stringent limitations.
Kau and Mpura were thrust into the limelight following the success of their respective musical projects. They were also among the top amapiano performers in the country before their tragic passing.
What Happened to Killer and Mpura?
On August 9, 2021, while en route to a concert, Killer Kau (real name: Sakhile Hlatshwayo), a well-known South African Amapiano singer, and his friend Mpura (real name: Mongezi Stuurman) died in a tragic accident in Rustenburg, North West province. Their vehicle crashed with another one, and they weren’t the only ones inside.
Not Mpura and Killer Kau, I'm really lost for words 😔😭💔 R.I.P 🕊️ pic.twitter.com/rNEihHCQz7
— MALUME.VINNY (@UncleVinny__) August 9, 2021
Sadly, the two buddies, along with the other performers, passed away instantaneously at the scene of the disaster.
Killer Kau Accident
The tragic accident involving Killer Kau and his friends happened on Saturday at about 9:30 pm in Rustenburg, North West Province. Kau, Mpura, upcoming artists Thando Tot, Khanya Hadebe, TD, and a female passenger, were all traveling in a Mercedes Benz sedan when they had a head-on collision with a Corsa car near Marikana.
Everyone in the vehicle died in the accident except the female passenger, who survived the crash. However, she sustained head injuries, a fractured rib, a spine, and a hematoma, resulting in her being in a coma for a week.
In total, six people lost their lives in the accident – Kau, Mpura, Thando Tot, Khanya Hadebe, TD, and the driver of the Corsa car, who also passed away instantly at the accident scene.
It is said that the Mercedes Benz belonged to Thando’s father. The police announced shortly after the incident that they were investigating a case of culpable homicide.
It was also initially reported that fellow amapiano musician Kabza De Small traveled with the performers and died in the crash. The report was later found to be false Kabza De Small cleared the air on his Twitter page.
He assured his fans that he was alive and doing great in a tweet her posted on August 9.
Is Killer Kau Really Dead, or Did He Fake His Death?
Sakhile Hlatwayo has passed away. He died on August 9, 2022. Since there were no images of the accident, assumptions were that he had staged his demise. The accusations proved untrue after his family acknowledged his demise and begged the public to stop circulating false rumors about the incident.
They insisted that accident pictures people have been sharing on the internet were misleading because no pictures were taken and that they only found out about their son’s death after the police reached out to them.
The amapiano singer has since been buried. He was laid to rest on the 15th of August, 2021. The occasion was attended by his family and close friends, including his father, grandmother, stepmother, three sisters, three brothers, niece, and nephew, due to covid19 restrictions.
Universal Music Africa’s promo manager Lwazi Zondo, who was a big sister to Kau, was also in attendance and was inconsolable throughout the teary occasion. The star’s funeral was streamed on YouTube and pulled in over 700,000 views and thousands of comments.
Who was Driving When Mpura Died?
Though it has been a number of months since Kau and his pals perished in a car accident, details concerning the terrible deaths of the performers and the events that preceded their passing are still hazy. This is due to the fact that the accident’s lone survivor stated that she was napping at the time the tragedy occurred.
Peloyame Segatle, a University student and the only survivor, in an interview with Unpacked with Relebogile Mabotja, mentioned that her last memory with other occupants of the car was everyone laughing and having fun before she dosed off.
Segatle, who was close to Kau and Mpura, said she was informed about the car on her hospital bed. She was further shattered after she learned that her close friend Khanya had died at the accident scene.
The lady also shared that she passed through a lot and almost slipped into depression after she couldn’t provide answers to the world’s questions. Peloyame did not mention the driver of the car they were traveling in during the interview.
Where Did Killer Kau Die?
Killer Kau breathed his last moments at Rustenburg, a municipality in the North West province, after the automobile he was riding in crashed with another vehicle. He had only been in the music business for five years when he passed away at 23.
He became an overnight success after a video of him singing his song “Tholukuthi Hey” went viral in 2017. Celebrity producer Euphonik was drawn to the video, so he made the decision to invite Kau to record a track in his home studio.
This life-changing encounter led to the pair recording a track together and performing gigs at various places, including Taboo and Kong nightclubs.
Everyone anticipated that Killer Kau, who experienced popularity at an early age, would stop caring about his studies, but that wasn’t the case. He finished his education before beginning to pursue his love for music.
Killer Kau’s Accident and Death Really Shook the Music Industry and the Country at Large
The passing of Killer and Mpura occurred when the two had already established themselves as two of amapiano music’s rising stars with immense potential. All they needed was time to demonstrate what it means to be amapiano talents.
Countless famous people, like Cassper Nyovest, the late Riky Rick, Mr. JazziQ, and Lady Du paid heartfelt homage to the upcoming artists. While most of them acknowledged that they had not yet come to grips with the duo’s demise on the same day, they pledged to uphold each person’s legacy.
Rest Easy My King 💔🕯✨ @killerkaursa pic.twitter.com/B3lIDWFT0i
— Abuti wadi Operations 🚀 (@MrJazziQ) August 9, 2021
On August 9, 2022, the families of the deceased conveyed to the accident, dropped some cross sticks by the side of the road, visited the burial sites of the young men, and also dropped some fresh flowers.
