Notable culture activist and playwright Cont Mhlanga died yesterday, Monday, July 1, 2022. He was 64.
About a week earlier, on July 22, he had been hospitalized in Bulawayo for an unknown ailment. He, unfortunately, didn’t make it.
The National Arts Council of Zimbabwe acknowledged the playwright’s death in a statement. However, it noted the playwright had an illness without going into the specifics. Instead, it merely noted Cont’s situation appeared to stabilize at some point.
In the three days before his death, though, the situation worsened, and the playwright himself soon gave up the ghost, leading to a wave of mourning from those who knew him and those who were somehow impacted by his works.
Cont founded Amakhosi Cultural Centre in 1982 as a youth karate club in Makokoba. However, six years later, in 1988, he changed Amakhosi’s focus to performing arts. It would be one of his best decisions, as the Amakhosi Cultural Centre would rise in fame and relevance alongside the man who founded it.
Mhlanga and Amakhosi Cultural Centre were awarded the Prince Claus award in 2015, one of several recognitions the man and his platform would gather along the way. Mhlanga is also famous for easily getting the best out of people.
