Efa Ibhinqa Lokuqala has released a new single, ‘Umjondi’, that carries the weight of a promise made to her late friend and fellow artist Brie Lee. Lee died of cancer at age 28 before the two could witness the moment a patient rings the hospital bell to mark the end of treatment.
The song’s origins trace back to conversations between the two Eastern Cape-born musicians, who shared a belief that they would one day celebrate that milestone together. Instead, Efa attended Lee’s funeral and then, days later, traveled to Johannesburg to continue the journey they had planned before Lee’s death.
A Friendship Forged in Music and Resilience
Efa Ibhinqa Lokuqala, a rising voice in South Africa’s Xhosa hip hop scene, has her own history of survival. In 2012, at age eight, she survived four gunshot wounds in Khayelitsha, Cape Town. That experience, she has said, shaped her understanding of resilience, a quality she later saw in Lee during her cancer treatment.
Lee, also an Eastern Cape native, was 28 when cancer claimed her life. The two women had been navigating Cape Town’s hip hop landscape together, building careers in an industry where female artists often face steep barriers.
The Meaning of ‘Umjondi’
The title ‘Umjondi’ draws from uMjondolo, the isiXhosa word for informal settlements. It evokes communities defined by hardship, endurance and hope, a symbolism that mirrors the lives of both artists. For Efa, completing the single became an act of honoring her friend’s memory.
A day after the track’s release, Efa appeared on The Mixed Bag podcast with The Original Don Dada, just days after Lee’s funeral. During the interview, she referred to Lee with a fleeting smile: “It really sounds silly, that silly girl.”
The Bell That Never Rang
In many hospitals, patients ring a bell to signal the completion of cancer treatment. Efa and Lee had spoken about that moment as a shared goal. Lee never reached it, but the symbolism endures in the music.
Efa’s journey from Cape Town to Johannesburg, via a funeral in the Eastern Cape, now carries the story of two friends who believed music could provide strength when words fell short. ‘Umjondi’ stands as a record of that friendship and the promise to keep going.
