Soulful music and jokes.
That was the order of his life.
And so, that’s how he was best celebrated.
Described as a lover of love, life, giving back and having a good time, Peter ‘Mashata’ Mabuse made the right noise in his loved ones’ lives.
Walking into the Pretoria State Theatre’s Drama theatre on Thursday afternoon, the sounds of soul music and laughs echoed throughout the floor.
Although many were evidently still in pain as speeches brought tears down their cheeks, his kind of noise felt like a hug to them.
To one of his tertiary mates, Lindiwe Shibambo who served in the Tshwane University of Technology (TUT) SRC with him, Peter has always been a comedian; troublesome but funny.
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Recounting how he once set them up to a sign-language conversation with someone who wasn’t deaf, she says there are many more memories that will always crack her up even in his absence.
“We are hurt as the friends of Peter Mashata. This, to us, came as a nightmare. It hurts so much because I’m from Soshanguve and Peter Mashata came to my wedding. He was so relaxed because he was home, he’s a kasi boy. He never thought that his blood would spill in that very same location.
“It hurts us so much because not only did they take away our friend, a comedian, a music lover, a leader, they dented the image of Pretoria, the image of Soshanguve.”
Lindiwe added that as the country heads to the polls in a month’s time, it is not right that people in townships have normalised the lack of safety as people walk around and do as they please with guns.
“He did not die in vain. He timed it so young people could rise against these issues. Enough is enough. Do not sit there and not vote, that is your power!”
Like many who stood up to honour and celebrate his life at the memorial service, including his mother, Lindiwe said that she wished it was all a bad joke and that he would walk through the door and end it all.
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In the crowd were his industry mates from the comedy space including The Funny Chef, Thapelo Tips Seemise, Thapelo ‘King Flat’ Mametja, TUT colleagues, Mamelodi Sundowns representatives, DJs and artists such as Jaziel Brothers among others.
Co-hosted by actor Aubrey Pooe, the service honoured his life from childhood, working at his alma mater TUT for 14 years to DJing, MCing and being a comedian, businessman and philanthropist.
Peter was shot dead about 10 days after his surprise 46th birthday in the early hours of the Sunday, 21 April after a gig at Epozini Lifestyle in Soshanguve. He was being driven by a friend who survived the incident when a hail of bullets targeted their car outside the TUT Soshanguve North campus.
The Gauteng police spokesperson Colonel Noxolo Khweza has since confirmed that a case of murder and attempted murder were opened, and investigations are underway.
Peter will be laid to rest on Sunday, 28 April in Pretoria.
