African Celebrities Who Died in Road Accidents

Drive carefully… road crashes kill. They have killed before, and they will kill again. Do not be the next one on the statistics. When Paul Walker of the famous Fast & Furious died in a car crash, late 2013, people were shaken. Most of them resolved to never drive fast again, but that is neither here nor there. There is only one place that the fast lane will lead you to, a sure death. Road crashes have been known the world over to be the taker of many lives; and Africa is no exception. So many have been grabbed from us by the grim reaper, at the age when they were most popular and most productive. Here, our main focus is on celebrities who have lost their lives in ghastly crashes. From the music industry, the entertainment scene to the political arena; none have been spared by the monstrosity that is road tragedies. Some have escaped unscathed; others have ended up disabled; and others paid for it with their lives.

The Music Industry

In the musical arena, we have lost songbirds, rappers, producers, MCs… you name them. Take a look at the lovely Lebo Mathosa for instance. This beautiful songstress know by not only her fellow South African nationals but also the larger world community; was a heartthrob for her interesting style of fusing authentic African tunes with a rhythm and blues twist. Her realm of fame was obviously large seeing as she can boast of doing collaborations with the likes of the legendary Keith Sweat. The macabre road accident that took her life in 2006 left a huge dent on the world at large.

Da Grin; Nigeria’s very own “50 cent” was another victim of the atrocity that is death by road accidents in Africa. A well known rapper; his tight lines and rhymes are still very much alive; evident of the big sensation he must have been. The news of his death in 2010 took many by shock and surprise; and left a huge chasm in the Nigerian music industry. What about the legendary Albert Silwimba; or as many of us many have known him – Alubusu. The Zambian musician will be remembered for his emotional tunes reflective of true African music, heritage and culture.

The Political Arena

Many a politician’s life have been claimed by road accidents, airplane crushes and many other such tragedies; coincidence? In Zimbabwe especially, during the time around political campaigns many politicians have lost their lives and one of these was Edward Chinduri-Chininga; a former member of Robert Mugabe’s cabinet. This former mines minister passed on in 2013 in a road accident that seems to have come ‘timely’ at a time when there was some controversy over an issue he had raised in the mining industry.

The Sports Realm

Sports men and women alike have not been spared by the monstrosity that is road accidents in the beautiful continent of Africa. From footballers, to cricketers, to swimmers, to coaches, and managers; none has been spared. Take a look at Zimbabwe’s darling; Adam Ndlovu. The soccer star that made history for scoring the most goals for his nation died in a road accident while his brother Peter was behind the wheel. Peter; left partially crippled survived the ordeal but his brother Adam did not live to tell the tale; sad indeed.

Africa has lost many a good nation-building people in road tragedies. There is poor signage on the roads, not to mention that the roads themselves are not too good. If you love your family, drive carefully. You will get there. An just for a good touch, assume you are the only sane driver when driving in Africa, be extra careful and watch out for that black spot.