In recent years, Pretoria has become the epicenter of South Africa’s vibrant nightlife.
Not only is it home to many of the country’s top young acts — the likes of Focalistic, Pabi Cooper, Ch’cco and Mellow, and Sleazy are all from Pretoria — it is also home to the most vibrant club scene in the country and is widely regarded as the place where the best parties are thrown.
It’s partygoers are known diehards - tickets for wildly popular Pretoria events like Homecoming and Tshwanefontein sell like hotcakes.
At the centre of this scene was DJ Sumbody (real name Oupa Sefoka), the mercurial amapiano DJ and entrepreneur, who was shot and killed in Woodmead last Sunday.
By all accounts, Sefoka was the engine of this club scene. Appropriately known as “The Mayor of Pretoria”, Sefoka’s parties at his club, Ayepyep, and various other venues he was involved in were known to be epic.
A veteran of the scene, Sefoka’s success translated into community growth. As he elevated, he made sure to lift those around him along the way.
Not only was he well respected by the older acts, but the newer guys, like Pretoria’s latest superstar Focalistic, also embraced him.
When news broke of his passing, the rapper was among the first celebrities to express shock and pay tribute to Sefoka: “Love you forever my Mayor. My big brother. Please can we stop the violence. Please. I’m gonna miss my OG. For real. Kale kgopela, are rataneng. Are tlhokomelaneng. Life is short.”
Sefoka’s 2018 hit single, “Monate Mpolaye”, which featured Cassper Nyovest, Thebe and DJ Vettys, represented his official coronation as one of Pretoria’s most important figures in entertainment.
The vibe – much of it accentuated by Sefoka’s irresistible production – was infectious. “Monate Mpolaya” was such an immediate sensation that Nyovest, who isn’t short of anthemic records, made the single the centerpiece of his live performances.
The rapper and entrepreneur, a close friend of Sefoka’s, was among the handful of colleagues that congregated at the Lewende Woord Centurion Church for an all-white themed memorial to celebrate his life on Wednesday.
Nyovest took to the stage to speak on how “Monate Mpolaye” came about. “I didn’t really feel the song,” he explained. “I just did it because he wouldn’t take no for an answer, he kept on calling. I didn’t really feel the song. I just did the song because he wouldn’t take no for an answer, he kept on calling me.
“And then when the song was released it changed everyone’s career — not only theirs but mine too. It became one of my biggest songs to perform on stage.”
The rapper and businessman explained that when he performed the song in his memorable closing performance at Global Citizen in 2018 (which came after Beyoncé and Jay-Z’s set) everyone was celebrating his viral showing.
Sefoka joked that the only thing that was missing was his presence on stage with him so that Beyoncé could see him.
After the viral success of “Monate Mpolaye”, Sefoka released a handful of singles and the album, “Ashi Nthwela”. While “Monate Mpolaye” was perhaps his most important moment, Sefoka also released several popular songs like “Ayepyep” and “Suk’emabhozeni”.
After a run of singles that didn’t quite catch, last year Sefoka released the hit single, “Iyamemeza”, alongside DBN Gogo and The Lowkeys.
As far as streams go, “Iyamemeza” quickly became the biggest song of his career, more than doubling “Monate Mpolaye’s” streams on Spotify.
He was back in his best form and primed to enjoy another successful phase in his storied career.
One of the more poignant moments of the memorial came when Sefoka’s siblings, Tsibu and Koketso, spoke about relationship with their brother.
Tsibu, his younger sister, shared how, lately, despite being a busy body since they were young, Sefoka had started to find time for her.
“He never had time, but funny enough over the past two years he made so much time for me,” she said, her voice breaking with emotion. “He made so much time for me from last year September till this year, he made time for me. And I didn’t understand why…
“The people that took Oupa away from us , they don’t know what they’ve done. My heart is broken.”
She also shared some memories and spoke candidly about his warm personality.
“I never called him Sumbody, I used to run away from the fact that I’m Sumbody’s little sister. But today I acknowledge the fact that as much as I wanted to separate him, he was the same person.
“He was no different as Oupa as he was Sumbody, and (it’s all of you that’ve made me understand that).”
As his sister broke down in tears, Koketso took to the podium to share the pain of their loss.
“We’ve been robbed,” he said. “We’ve been robbed of a brother, we’ve been robbed of a son to my mother.”
Sefoka’s death really does feel like a devastating robbery.