Zuma saddened by death of celebrated SA actor

Johannesburg - The entertainment industry has lost a loved and talented actor, President Jacob Zuma said on Saturday, following the death of Roland Mqwebu.

"It is indeed saddening to learn that our own celebrated legend in the field of arts and culture, Mr Mqwebu, has departed," Zuma said in a statement.

The country was poorer without Mqwebu, who died at the age of 74 on Friday.

"On behalf of government and all South Africans, we convey our sincere condolences to the Mqwebu family, relatives, friends and all in the entertainment industry," he said.

Mqwebu's daughter, Andile Mqwebu, 31, told News24 her father had been ill for some time. He died from renal failure at eThekwini Heart Hospital and Heart Centre on Friday morning.

The Economic Freedom Fighters said Mqwebu would be sorely missed.

"[Mqwebu] was a darling of the nation and his passing has left a void in both the industry and in the many homes whose daily lives he had become a part of," acting EFF spokesperson Fana Mokoena said in a statement.

"We reiterate our stance that artists of the calibre of 'Bab’Mkhize' must be archived and monumentalised as societal activists whose contribution to our history as a burgeoning democracy is invaluable."

The EFF sent its condolences to his family.