Veteran Musician Richard 'Saggy Saggila' Siluma Dies at 71, Family Confirms His Cause of Death
- Richard 'Saggy Saggila' Siluma died on Monday, 25 August 2025, aged 71, weeks after he collapsed at SAMRO's offices in Johannesburg
- His son, Ntokozo, confirmed his cause of death, contradicting Saggy Saggila's friend's version of events
- SAMRO confirmed his death and celebrated his legacy, which includes producing albums for some of South Africa's iconic musicians
Source: Twitter
In a sad development, South African music legend Richard ‘Saggy Saggila’ Siluma has died aged 71. Siluma’s family also confirmed his cause of death.
News of Richard Siluma’s death comes days after the passing of another veteran in the entertainment industry, Nandi Nyembe, who passed away on Saturday, 23 August 2025. Richard Siluma, also known as Saggy Saggila, passed away on Monday, 25 August 2025. His family has broken its silence, clearing the air surrounding his cause of death.
Richard 'Saggy Saggila' Siluma's family confirms cause of death
In an interview with Sunday World, Siluma’s son, Ntokozo, confirmed his father’s cause of death. He confirmed that his father visited the Southern African Music Rights Organisation’s (Samro) offices, where a Trompies member chained himself in protest.
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Ntokozo contradicted his father’s friend’s version of events, stating that Saggy Saggila had visited the Samro offices to sort out some paperwork and not to request a financial advance. Ntokozo Siluma said Saggy Saggila suffered a stroke on Monday, 11 August 2025, on his way out. He was rushed to Milpark Hospital in Johannesburg, where he was diagnosed with high blood pressure and never recovered until his death on 25 August 2025.
He emphasised that before the incident, his father had not shown any signs of illness.
“He did collapse at the Samro offices, and officials rushed him to the hospital. According to them, he was there to sort out paperwork and seemed healthy and happy, even joking. But on his way out, he collapsed and became unconscious. He was diagnosed with high blood pressure at the hospital and never recovered. He passed away on Monday,” Ntokozo explained.
Friend contradicts Richard 'Saggy Saggila' Siluma's family
A friend who spoke to Sunday World earlier had mentioned that they accompanied Richard Siluma when he visited Samro. The friend claimed that Siluma had gone to Samro, which recently dominated headlines after suspending its CEO, to request a financial advance.
The friend alleged that the request was denied, and on his way out, Saggy Saggila suffered a stroke. The friend said they weren’t sure if the stroke was related to Samro denying his request for a financial advance or if it was a coincidence.
“On August 11, he visited Samro to enquire about his royalties. He also requested a financial advance, which was allegedly denied. On his way out, he suffered a stroke and collapsed. Samro officials rushed him to the hospital, where he passed away a few days later. We don’t know whether the stroke was related to Samro denying his request or just a coincidence,” the unnamed friend told the publication.
Source: Twitter
Samro has released a statement mourning the death of Richard Siluma, who they revealed was Lucky Dube's cousin. Samro shared that Siluma produced Dube's groundbreaking Slave album in the late 1980s, among other songs for some of South Africa's iconic musicians, such as Stimela and Ukhamba Lomvaleliso.
See the post below:
Nandi Nyembe's family announces her memorial and funeral services
In other entertainment news, Briefly News reported that Nandi Nyembe's family confirmed the funeral and memorial details on Tuesday, 26 August 2025.
Award-winning actress Sannah Mchunu, who starred opposite Nyembe in Icala, shared the details on her Instagram account. South Africans took to social media on Tuesday, 26 August 2025, to bid farewell to their favourite actress.
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Source: Briefly News
