Langa Mavuso. Picture: Supplied
It's been more than six weeks since the world lost celebrity chef Lentswe Bhengu-Mafoko and although the rest of the country has moved on, Langa Mavuso is still in grief.
Lentswe was in a relationship with leading male vocalist and soulful musician Langa Mavuso, which was disclosed after his death.
According to the family statement, Lentswe died on the evening of February 28 at the Sandton Medi-Clinic after succumbing to a brief illness.
Mavuso has spoken out about his life without his partner who was commemorated in three memorial services – one in Johannesburg and two in Durban, before he was laid to rest on March 8.
At one of the memorial services, Mavuso said that in their seven years together, they had built a life for themselves.
According to Mavuso's speech at Bhengu-Mafoko's memorial services, they met on a surprise trip to Johannesburg.
Swankie Mafoko, Bhengu-Mafoko's younger sister, was performing her debut one-woman show, according to Mavuso.
"A smile captured my attention, and little did I know that it would be mine for years to come," Mavuso said at the ceremony.
"In the seven years I spent with Lentswe, we shared love, fought a lot, had long embraces, and built a life for ourselves.
"Regardless of the stress, we always knew we loved each other, and it was aptly stated in every text that finished with the words, 'Love first, love always'."
He went on to remark that he didn't know where to begin saying goodbye when there was still so much love to give.
After graduating from the Culinary Academy in the Cape Winelands in 2010, Lentswe established a career in the culinary and entertainment industries. He had previously worked in the investment finance industry.
The Sunday Blues hitmaker recently took to Twitter to confirm that he was still in pain and mourning the loss.
"My Lizwi—Langa Mavuso's heartbreaking tweet on Lentswe's passing:
“Lizwi is a Xhosa name that means ‘logical reasoning’.
"You could be clever, insightful, graceful, or even psychic. Lizwi's full name is Lizwilenkosi, which means ‘God's word’. Langa could potentially be translating Lentswe, a Tswana word, into his own tongue, Xhosa.“
Many Twitter users, including Vuyolwethu Ngcukana, Thembisa Nxumalo, Nomsa Madida, and others, expressed their sympathies to Langa.
"May you be comforted by all the special memories you guys shared together. Always looked forward to your posts together.
"I remember one year he posted one of the sweetest birthday messages I’ve ever seen on IG," posted Dimakatso David Mokwena (Phoyisa Bae) (@SelfieRunnerZA) on April 11, 2023.
It appears that Langa will take some time to grieve before returning to the stage.
This comes as he confirmed on Instagram that his first public singing appearance since the death of Lentswe will be on Friday, May 5, 2023, for a one-night-only intimate music session where VIP attendees will be able to meet and greet the musician during a three-course dinner with the singer-songwriter.
Meanwhile, Lentswe's family have requested privacy as they mourn their beloved son and brother.