Sharing the Love for a Township Jazz Legend Who Has Fallen

Photo Credit: O’Brien Manana via Instagram

Mr Manana brought township jazz to the world and colour to the streets of Sophiatown.

Sophiatown, Johannesburg (05 September 2025) – South Africa has lost a jazz giant.

The legendary Ntate ‘Stompie’ Manana, a Sophiatown-born trumpeter who helped shape township jazz and co-founded the African Jazz Pioneers, has passed away peacefully at the age of 89.

“To the world, he was a living legend whose trumpet carried the heartbeat of our people, from the streets of Sophiatown to the world stage with the African Jazz Pioneers. For decades, he dedicated his life to music, to joy, and to keeping the spirit of township jazz alive,” writesManana’s family in a statement announcing his passing.

Stompie was born in Sophiatown in 1935 and was the last of eight children and the only one to survive into adulthood. Small and frail at birth, he earned a nickname that stuck for life. Stompie.

Despite the hardship, he remembered his childhood with warmth.

“We accepted what was happening, we had a togetherness, a unity. We were poor but happy,” said Ernest, as per the City of Johannesburg.

Ernest’s dad ran the Wonder Bar restaurant, and he grew up surrounded by the soul of his community.

He loved going to the movies. Back in the day, there were two cinemas in the suburb. Odin and Balanskys. It was there that he discovered Fred Astaire movies and fell in love with the music. He started piano lessons at 11, and later took up the trumpet, following in his father and brothers’ footsteps.

He was an artist too. At 14, he entered into a drawing competition run by The Bantu World newspaper, in the hopes of winning the first prize, a bicycle. He submitted his entry. Unsure of whether it had been received, he submitted another, desperate to win the bicycle. Later, he was called in by the newspaper’s editor. There, on the wall, both of his works had been mounted. He went on to win the bicycle. It was a Phillips 26.

Throughout his long life, Manana held many jobs. For 16 years, he worked as a potter at Crescent Potteries in Krugersdorp. Then, as a supervisor for Pilot radios and TVs. Then, in a bank, he worked his way up to branch manager. Always keeping his love for jazz alive on the sidelines.

Music was a love and a passion. Over the decades, he played with the Savoy Havanas, The Cliffs, the Transvaal Jazz Stars, and the African Swingsters, and passed his knowledge on to younger players. He was a mentor at The Music Academy of Gauteng and an integral part of the Gauteng Jazz Orchestra, where he guided young minds amongst other great legends. He even taught Hugh Masekela to play the trumpet.

To his family, he was the rock.

“He was a devoted husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, whose warmth, kindness, humour, and love made him the heart of our family,” wrote the Mananas.

“I’ve never experienced pain like this in my life. I’m gonna miss you Dad. You lived, you loved and you inspired. You loved your family so much and you taught us to us love. RIP Ntate Stompie Manana you will be dearly missed,” wrote his son, O’Brien Manana, in mourning.

It’s never easy losing a legend, but his music and legacy will be carried by a culture he played a role in creating.