Bongani Fassie reflects on his late mother's life in a documentary

TimesLIVE

21-05-2025

Producer and musician Bongani Fassie is to launch a documentary tribute to his late mother Brenda Fassie.
The launch of the documentary Brenda Through My Eyes: Bongani Fassie seals his mother's legacy, is set to take place on May 22 at Preview Theatre at Arena Holdings, Parktown.
Before and after her death, books and films have been written and made about the colourful entertainer. In 1994, filmmaker Chris Austin filmed Brenda in the documentary Brenda Fassie — Not a Bad Girl, while South African author and journalist Bongani Madondo published the book I'm Not Your Weekend Special in 2014.
Bongani said he's always been an afterthought in the stories about his mother's life, but he also has a story to tell. 'The story has been told over and over again. The narrative has always been the same: when you talk about Brenda, we include Bongani. However, this time, the story is about Bongani and it will include Brenda,' Bongani.
Despite her stardom, Bongani said Brenda was a mother first and he was picking up where she left off as the heir of her estate. Bongani said he wants to give viewers insight into some of the significant events in Brenda's life.
'I am now taking over the legacy in its entirety, how it was when Brenda passed away, what happened in the dark, how you survive and persevere through the trials and tribulations that come with being the child of a legend. I'm going to unpack every little thing.
'The story has not been told fully. We cannot exclude the family legacy and heritage she was born into. There is still a lot of behind the scenes that the public isn't aware of, there are people who are not in the public domain who can tell us so much more about her.'