South African rapper Costa Titch died this weekend, just 28 years old. He passed after collapsing while performing during a Johannesburg music festival Saturday, according to an Instagram statement by his family. No cause of death was announced. In the statement, his family said:
“We are thankful for the emergency responders and all those present in his last hours on this earth. As a family we are faced with a difficult time as we try to make sense of what has befallen us and ask that we be afforded the time and space to gather ourselves.
“The Tsobanoglous family thanks you for the love and support that you have given to our son and may you continue to uplift him even in spirit. Please keep us in your prayers and uplifted in the Lord.”
According to Cape Town Etc, Costa Titch was performing at Johannesburg’s Nasrec Expo Centre when he collapsed onstage. An individual rushed onstage to help Titch, who briefly got up and regained his footing before collapsing yet again.
The organizers of the Ultra Music Festival South Africa also issued a statement on the matter, releasing it shortly after the announcement of Titch’s passing. They posted it to Twitter, writing “We are devastated by the sudden lose of the beloved South African artist Costa Titch, who tragically passed away this weekend. Costa was a galvanizing voice amongst South Africa’s amapiano scene – a talented rapper, dancer, songwriter, collaborator and friend to the festival.”
Fox News Digital, providing some background on Titch’s career, noted that:
“The rapper was born in Nelspruit, South Africa, kicking off his career as a backup dancer before turning to rap music.
“Costa Titch was best known for interweaving traditional South African culture with trap beats. The rapper’s most popular song was the single “Big Flexa”, which went viral on TikTok in 2021. A remix version of the song was later released featuring musician Akon.”
Titch’s passing might be a blessing in disguise for him, as it means he’ll miss South Africa’s seemingly imminent collapse. The American Conservative, commenting on what seems likely for the declining nation, said:
Could the collapse of South Africa, so long foretold by pessimists, finally be arriving? The United States government thinks it’s possible.
On February 15, the U.S. embassy in Pretoria advised Americans in South Africa to have at least seventy-two hours’ worth of food, water, medicine, and hygiene supplies in case of power outages, which have reached record levels in recent weeks, leaving users across the country without electricity for hours at a time. In January, the U.S. State Department’s Overseas Security Advisory Council held a meeting, which was leaked to journalists in an audio recording, to discuss the need to prepare for a total collapse of South Africa’s power grid.
These alarm bells come on the heels of the resignation of Andre de Ruyter as CEO of Eskom in December 2022, three years after he was brought in to lead the embattled utility with a mandate to tackle corruption and end rolling blackouts. Resistance to his efforts at the highest levels, including by cabinet politicians, made his job impossible, and “load shedding” (as the rolling blackouts are called) reached record levels in 2021. With nothing left to lose, last month De Ruyter gave an hour-long interview to journalist Annika Larsen where he spilled the whole sorry story of corruption at Eskom.
The most explosive allegation aired by De Ruyter involved an attempt to assassinate him by putting cyanide in his coffee on December 12, the day of his resignation. “Never have a personalized mug, it’s a bad idea,” he joked. More disturbing than the assassination attempt was the total lack of interest in investigating it on the part of law enforcement. One of the workmen repairing the broken coffee machine on the day of the poisoning “has since absconded from work, he’s disappeared,” according to De Ruyter. “That remains to be investigated.” The detectives who took De Ruyter’s statement “inquired whether I had been experiencing problems with my sinuses. I asked them if they knew what cyanide was.” Weeks later, no arrests have been made.
De Ruyter was Eskom’s last, best hope. The board is not likely to find another CEO with the competence to handle this impossible job and the willingness to undertake it at the risk of death. The criminal forces that harried De Ruyter throughout his tenure will most likely now carry on their predations free of any remaining obstacles, enriching themselves until there is nothing left to loot. The dominos that would fall in the case of a total grid collapse start with phone lines, internet, and traffic lights, and end with looting, crime, and civil unrest.
"*" indicates required fields