In the late evening of December 11, 2023, South African Sports, Arts, and Culture Minister Zizi Kodwa broke the news of Zahara's death. This came as a shock to all her South African fans, who were indeed hoping that the musician would recover. In this article, we will look at the events surrounding her death, why she started drinking and her legacy. But before we proceed, do subscribe to our YouTube channel for more original content like this.

2 weeks ago, Zahara was hospitalized for a liver-related complication. While the details were initially blurred, it eventually came out that her liver was damaged beyond any foreseeable recovery, giving rise to the potential need for a liver transplant. The condition that Zahara had is called liver cirrhosis, which is essentially the scarring of the liver to the point of liver failure as a result mostly of chronic alcohol abuse. But those who knew Zahara growing up would say she was anything but a drinker. So, what led to her alcoholism?

Well, this is believed to be the reason. In 2014, Zahara's younger brother was murdered in East London, Eastern Cape. He was found with multiple gunshot wounds and only his cellphone missing. These were really devastating news for Bulelwa, who really loved her younger brother to death. Most people around her say she never truly recovered from this fatal blow. No matter how hard she tried, it seemed like that day couldn't leave her head. As a result, after 2014, she became a heavy drinker and never recovered. Unlike casual drinkers, it seems as though Zahara was using the bottle to forget her pain instead of facing it, but as you can imagine, it can't be easy to face the death of your younger brother, especially if he was murdered.