Luke Ntombela is a renowned Afro-jazz singer and songwriter from South Africa. Her music is a beautiful blend of gospel, house, Afro-pop, and other popular genres, and she has collaborated with some of the biggest names in South African music, including DJ Tira, DJ Sox, Naima Kay, and Rebecca Malope.
In 2014, she represented KwaZulu-Natal province as the lead singer at the Clash of the Choirs singing competition, where they emerged as winners. Luke Ntombela has shared the stage with Zahara, Joyous Celebrations, Zakes Bantwini, Robbie Malinga, and Bra Hugh Masekela.
Luke Ntombela sadly did not make the Top 10 of the South African Idols.
Luke Ntombela accuses DJ Tira of abusing her
Apart from her music career, Luke has also been in the news recently for accusing DJ Tira of sexually abusing her while she was drunk. This accusation has caused a lot of controversy in the South African music industry, and many people have been wondering who Luke Ntombela is and what her story is.
Luke’s journey in music started with her participation in the Idols South Africa singing competition. Although she did not win, she went on to produce a live concert at The Bat center in November 2016, featuring some of the ex-Idols challengers. In 2019, she released her first single “Ilizwi Lakho” under her label “Afribow Music,” which was recorded live to realize a live DVD.
In 2020, during the lockdown implemented in South Africa, Luke collaborated and performed with well-known KZN artists like Hlengiwe Mhlaba, Mondli Ngcobo, Mbuso Khoza, Qwabe Twins, Babo Ngcobo and others, in the song “Heal our land – Sizophumelela,” which won the best collaboration award in Crown Gospel Awards. In November 2020, under Afribow Music, Luke released her second single “Skoro koro,” which is part of the “Breakup” EP.
In 2021, Sondela Recordings launched their first single “Ezizweni” by Hyenah featuring DJ Tira and Luke Ntombela. However, in recent times, Luke Ntombela has been in the news for a different reason. She publicly accused DJ Tira of sexually abusing her while she was drunk, which has caused a lot of controversy in the South African music industry.
The incident allegedly occurred in 2012 after a gig in Durban, where DJ Tira offered to take Luke home and later sexually abused her while she was drunk. Luke revealed that she was too scared to come forward earlier, but she felt compelled to speak out after seeing that DJ Tira was unapologetic.
Social media seems divided after the videos and pictures went viral. Some fans said they would wait for both sides of the story, others showed support for the alleged victim.
@ChrisExcel102 said:
“We stand with Makoya Bearings in these difficult times.”
@ronaldanele wrote:
“She’s broke this one and wants money nje……lf she suspected anything sexual that happened ku blackout yakhe kube uye for tests …lf there was any sexual happenings she was going to test positive.”
@Asa_Sigoxo said:
“Going for tests the morning after the incident would’ve helped.”
@AneleGagu15461 commented:
“She should have gone to the Dr then police instead of going to Facebook.”
@General_Sport7 noted:
“Makoya apologized for what exactly? He did something to this lady?”
The case is still ongoing, and it remains to be seen what the outcome will be. However, Luke Ntombela’s bravery in coming forward with her story has sparked an important conversation about sexual abuse and harassment in the South African music industry, and it is hoped that this will lead to positive change and justice for all those who have been affected.
