Mourners pay tribute to Vusi Ma R5

MABOPANE Sports Centre was packed for the memorial service of musician Vusi Ma R5, who was shot and killed on Monday morning.

Dubbed the King of Bacardi music, 35-year-old Itumeleng Mosoeu – known as Vusi Ma R5 – burst into the mainstream with hits such as Tse Nnyane and Thaba (Ke Chenchitse) a few years ago.

Vusi Ma R5’s death broke the hearts of many South Africans who woke up to social media messages that he had been gunned down near a popular hangout spot on the M17 in Soshanguve.

By yesterday, his influence was not in question as young and old said they did not know about the Bacardi genre until they heard Vusi Ma R5’s music.

At the service yesterday, mourners were treated to entertainment by some of his dancers.

His friend in the entertainment industry, comedian Schoolboy Ntuli, got the crowd clapping and cheering when he said Vusi Ma R5 was the most booked artist in South Africa.

He said the muso was performing “every Monday to Sunday”, and not even the most famous musicians in the country could keep up with him.

Among the crowd was TikTok sensation, Chairman, who made social media videos with the artist, inspiring people to be kind, respectful and loving towards others.

The hall was packed with scores of members of his popular Team R – from administrators to dancers and security.

Vusi Ma R5’s grandmother, Elizabeth Mosoeu, was assisted to the podium to address the mourners, where she said she was in pain because of how her child was killed. She said whoever killed him hurt the family badly.

His aunt, Esther Mnisi, said: “Vusi was a child who loved people and laughed with everyone. He was not a person of these shootings and killings. He was only concerned with entertaining people and making music. To whomever killed him, let it stop with us. Let it end here.”

His daughters and son, Rapelang, Khumoetsile and Kagiso, broke down as they tried to force themselves to speak about their father and how heartbroken they were that he left them while they still needed him and loved him very much.

His wife, Sarah, said he had been all she needed in both a husband and father, a breadwinner and people’s person, all in one.

The family asked that the police and politicians show will to find the perpetrator(s), and urged the public to assist authorities with information about the killer and motive.

Amusing stories were told about Vusi Ma R5’s belt, which sported the R5 coins that earned him his name, with friends saying they used to say he would go broke, but instead he became successful and never needed to remove a single coin from the belt.

Vusi Ma R5 will be buried on Sunday.